AN ACT PROVIDING THAT STATE EMPLOYEES, PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, and community college employees MAY SHARE LEAVE VOLUNTARILY.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 126‑8.3 reads as rewritten:
"§ 126‑8.3.  Voluntary shared leave.
The State Personnel Commission, in cooperation with the State Board of Community Colleges and the State Board of Education, shall adopt rules and policies to allow any employee at a State agency to share leave voluntarily with an immediate family member who is an employee of a State agency, community college, or public school. For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate family member" means a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, or grandchild. The term includes the step, half, and in‑law relationships."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑12.2 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑12.2.  Voluntary shared leave.
The State Board of Education, in cooperation with the State Board of Community Colleges and the State Personnel Commission, shall adopt rules and policies to allow any employee at a public school to share leave voluntarily with an immediate family member who is an employee of a public school, community college, or State agency. For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate family member" means a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, or grandchild. The term includes the step, half, and in‑law relationships."
SECTION 3.  Article 2 of Chapter 115D of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 115D-25.3. Voluntary shared leave.
The State Board of Community Colleges, in cooperation with the State Board of Education and the State Personnel Commission, shall adopt rules and policies to allow any employee at a community college to share leave voluntarily with an immediate family member who is an employee of a community college, public school, or State agency. For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate family member" means a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, or grandchild. The term includes the step, half, and in‑law relationships."
SECTION 4.  Prior to the adoption of any rules pursuant to this Act:
(a)	The president of any community college shall allow any employee of that community college to share leave voluntarily with an immediate family member, as defined in Section 3 of this Act, who is an employee of a community college, public school, or State agency; and 
(b)	Community colleges, public schools, and State agencies shall permit eligible employees to receive leave pursuant to this Act.

SECTION 5.  This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 31st day of March, 2003.

	s/	 Marc Basnight
	 President Pro Tempore of the Senate

	s/	 James B. Black
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Michael F. Easley
	 Governor

Approved 7:05 p.m. this 10th day of April, 2003