(1) All officers or employees of the state, of the several counties of the state, and of the municipalities or political subdivisions of the state who are commissioned reserve officers or reserve enlisted personnel in the United States military or naval service or members of the National Guard are entitled to leaves of absence from their respective duties, without loss of vacation leave, pay, time, or efficiency rating, on all days during which they are engaged in training ordered under the provisions of the United States military or naval training regulations for such personnel when assigned to active or inactive duty.

(2) Leaves of absence granted as a matter of legal right under the provisions of this section may not exceed 240 working hours in any one annual period. Administrative leaves of absence for additional or longer periods of time for assignment to duty functions of a military character shall be without pay and shall be granted by the employing or appointing authority of any state, county, municipal, or political subdivision employee and when so granted shall be without loss of time or efficiency rating.

(3) When an employee’s assigned employment duty conflicts with ordered active or inactive duty training, it is the responsibility of the employing agency of the state, county, municipal, or political subdivision to provide a substitute employee, if necessary, for the assumption of such employment duty while the employee is on assignment for the training.

(4) It is the intent of the Legislature that the state, its several counties, and its municipalities and political subdivisions shall grant leaves of absence for active or inactive training to all employees who are members of the United States Reserve Forces or the National Guard, to ensure the state and national security at all times through a strong armed force of qualified and mobilization-ready personnel.

History.—s. 1, ch. 17975, 1937; CGL 1940 Supp. 470(1); s. 1, ch. 26852, 1951; s. 10, ch. 83-227; ss. 1, 2, ch. 85-279; s. 1, ch. 2010-79.