Workers’ compensation for public education employees passes Alabama House committee
Apr 02, 2025 | 11:18 am ET
Description
Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, listening to a speaker in the House Ways and Means Education Committee in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 2, 2025. Faulkner led the concern on the workers' compensation bill and worked on addressing those while the Legislature was on break last week.(Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
An Alabama House committee Wednesday unanimously approved a bill extending workers compensation benefits to public education employees
SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, would allow full-time employees at public schools who are injured on the job to use accrued sick leave for recovery. According to the State Department of Education, public education employees earn one sick day per month. The benefit would go into effect as soon as it is passed and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The bill creates the Public Education Employee Injury Compensation Trust Fund in the State Treasury with a startup cost of at least $15.6 million.
It passed after the Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee delayed it last month due to concerns about how the benefit in the bill compares to the existing benefit for state employees. Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, said he worked with the sponsor and lawyers while the Legislature was on break last week.
“I made it very clear I am in 100% support of this bill and of workers’ comp for teachers,” he said. “There were just a couple of tweaks that needed to be made.”
Faulkner’s main concern was the appeals process for educators when they are injured on the job. In an amendment, Faulkner said the biggest change was spelling out the appeals process in the bill instead of referencing a part of the Alabama code.
“We have that in the bill, the exact process, so people can see what the appeals process looks like,” Faulkner said.
The amendment was adopted unanimously.
Rep. Cynthia Almond, R-Tuscaloosa, who carried the bill for Givhan in committee, said they had been “working through those (questions) and maybe all of these questions have been answered.”
Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, the chair of the committee, said last month the bill needed more work. On Wednesday, Garrett said he was pleased with the changes.
“Thank you again for all the work you guys have done on the break,” Garrett said.
The bill moves to the full House.
Montgomery