Sick & Military Leave for Certain Public Servants

HOUSE BILL 26-1413

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Sirota and Brown, Hamrick, Jackson, Lindsay, Nguyen, Smith, Stewart R., Zokaie; also SENATOR(S) Amabile and Bridges, Cutter, Hinrichsen, Wallace, Weissman.

CONCERNING LEA VE TIME ALLOWED TO CERTAIN PUBLIC SERVANTS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 24-50-104, amend (7)(a) as follows: 24-50-104. Job evaluation and compensation - state employee reserve fund - created - study - report - definitions. (7) Leaves. (a) No empleyee shall earn more than ten days of sick leave per fiscal year. No employee may retain accumulated sick leave in excess of forty-five days at the end of any fiscal year; except that any employee who had accumulated sick leave prior to July 1, 1988, shall retain such leave and may accumulate a maximum of forty-five additional days. Any excess

Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material added to existing law; dashes through words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law and such material is not part of the act.

accumulation may be converted to annual leave at the rate of five days of sick leave to one day of annual leave up to a total of two days per fiscal year. A medical certificate form from a health-care provider shall be required for absences of more than three full consecutive working days, or the use of sick leave shall be denied.

SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 28-3-601, amend (1) as follows: 28-3-601. Public employees - annual military leave. (1) Subject to the conditions prescribed in sections 28-3-601 to 28-3-607, any officer or employee of the state or of any political subdivision, municipal corporation, or other public agency of the state who is a member of the National Guard or any other component of the military forces of the state organized or constituted under state or federal law or who is a member of the reserve forces of the United States, organized or constituted under federal law, is entitled to leave of absence from the officer's or employee's public office or employment without loss of pay, seniority, status, efficiency rating, vacation, sick leave, or other benefits for the entire time the officer or employee is engaged with such organization or component in training or active service ordered or authorized by proper authority pursuant to law, whether for state or federal purposes, but not exceeding the equivalent of three FOUR weeks of work on the officer's or employee's regular work schedule in the leave year established by the employer. The employer shall allow the leave if the required military service is satisfactorily performed, which is presumed unless the contrary is established.

SECTION 3. Effective date. This act takes effect July 1, 2026. SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate

preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state institutions.

Julie McCluskie SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

James Rashad Coleman, Sr. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Vanessa Reilly CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Esther van Mourik SECRETARY OF THE SENATE

APPROVED on Monday June 1st 2026 at 11:00am (Date and Time)

Jared S. Polis GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO