Relating to the establishment of a county employee family leave pool program.

Contracts

• Payroll & HRIS Vendors: You must review service agreements with third-party payroll processors. Systems must be updated to support a "Leave Transfer" function that deducts hours from a donor and credits a "Pool Balance" ledger, distinct from standard accruals.
• Collective Bargaining/Meet and Confer: For counties with labor associations, this benefit constitutes a change in working conditions. Review existing MOUs to determine if this requires a contract amendment or a side letter agreement.

Hiring/Training

• Administrator Appointment: The County Judge is the default Pool Administrator unless they designate another official. This designation must be formalized in writing.
• Privacy Training: HR staff processing these requests will handle sensitive medical and minor-child data (birth certificates, foster placement papers). HIPAA and privacy training must be refreshed to cover this specific intake workflow.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Intake Forms: You must create a "Request for Transfer" form for donors and a "Pool Withdrawal Application" for recipients.
• Evidentiary Standards: The law mandates specific documentation for approval. You must establish a secure repository for:
• Licensed practitioner statements (for serious illness).
• Birth, adoption, or foster placement records.
• Proof of "essential caregiver" status or facility closure (for pandemic-related claims).
• Ledger Management: The Administrator must maintain a real-time ledger of the pool's balance to ensure no allocations exceed the statutory cap (lesser of 1/3 of the pool or 90 days).

Fees & Costs

• Budget Neutrality: The bill does not impose state fees.
• Administrative Costs: Expect one-time costs for HRIS software reconfiguration to handle "pooled" hours logic.
• Liability: Potential cost exposure regarding the "cash value" of the leave if the pool is dissolved or if tax withholding is miscalculated (see Strategic Ambiguities).