55.4 - LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEE CANDIDACY.
55.4 LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEE
CANDIDACY.
Any public employee who becomes a candidate for any elective
public office shall, upon request of the employee and commencing any
time within thirty days prior to a contested primary, special, or
general election and continuing until after the day following that
election, automatically be given a period of leave. If the employee
is under chapter 8A, subchapter IV, the employee may choose to use
accrued vacation leave, accrued compensatory leave or leave without
pay to cover these periods. The appointing authority may authorize
other employees to use accrued vacation leave or accrued compensatory
leave instead of leave without pay to cover these periods. An
employee who is a candidate for any elective public office shall not
campaign while on duty as an employee.
This section does not apply to employees of the federal government
or to a public employee whose position is financed by federal funds
if the application of this section would be contrary to federal law
or result in the loss of the federal funds. Section History: Recent Form
86 Acts, ch 1021, § 2; 2003 Acts, ch 145, §154