Bill > AB642

This bill expands existing catastrophic leave programs for school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools by allowing employees to donate leave credits in two specific scenarios. First, the bill maintains the current provision that permits employees to donate leave credits when a colleague or their family member suffers a serious, extended illness or injury that creates financial hardship. Second, the bill introduces a new provision allowing employees to donate leave credits when a colleague is impacted by a state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor. In both cases, the employee receiving donated leave must have exhausted their own paid leave credits, and the donation must be at least eight hours. The governing board must establish rules for the program, including a maximum donation period of 12 consecutive months and procedures for verifying the employee's need. The bill was specifically motivated by the recent Los Angeles fires, which left many educators without sufficient leave to recover from personal losses, and is designed to provide immediate support to school employees facing extraordinary personal or community-wide challenges. The bill is classified as an urgency statute, meaning it goes into effect immediately to address critical public needs.

Budget and Finance, Education

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB642