Georgia has certain sections in the Georgia Code that concern family and medical leave as stated below.

• 34-1-6. Employers may provide an unpaid leave for a nursing mother to express milk.
• 34-1-10. Family Care Act (paid sick leave).
  
• 45-20-31. Bone marrow and organ donation leave for state employees.
• 20-2-850. Sick leave for teachers.
• 20-2-852. Maternity leave for teachers.

The breast-feeding of a baby is an important and basic act of nurture to which every baby has a right and which act must be encouraged in the interests of maternal and child health and family values, and in furtherance of this right, a mother may breast-feed her baby in any location, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, provided the mother acts in a discreet and modest way.

34-1-6.

(a) As used in this Code section, the term "employer" means any person or entity that employs one or more employees and shall include the state and its political subdivisions.

(b) An employer may provide reasonable unpaid break time each day to an employee who needs to express breast milk for her infant child. The employer may make reasonable efforts to provide a room or other location (in close proximity to the work area), other than a toilet stall, where the employee can express her milk in privacy. The break time shall, if possible, run concurrently with any break time already provided to the employee. An employer is not required to provide break time under this Code section if to do so would unduly disrupt the operations of the employer.

34-1-10. Family Care Act.

(a)   As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) 'Employee' means an individual who works for salary, wages, or other remuneration for an employer for at least 30 hours per week.

(2)  'Employee stock ownership plan' shall have the same meaning as provided in Section 4975(e)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. Section 4975(e)(7).

(3)  'Employer' means any individual or entity that employs 25 or more employees and shall include the State of Georgia and its political subdivisions and instrumentalities.

(4)    'Immediate  family  member'  means  an  employee's  child,  spouse,  grandchild, grandparent, or parent or any dependents as shown in the employee's most recent tax return.

(5)  'Sick  leave'  means  time  away  from  work  by  an  employee,  due  to  his  or  her  own incapacity, illness, or injury, for which the employee receives his or her regular salary, wages, or other remuneration.  The term 'sick leave' shall not include paid short-term or long-term disability.

(b)  An employer that provides sick leave shall allow an employee to use such sick leave for the care of an immediate family member; provided, however, that nothing in this Code section  shall  be  construed  to  require  an  employer  to  offer  sick  leave  or  to  require  an employer  to  allow  an  employee  to  use  more  than  five  days  of  earned  sick  leave  per calendar year for the care of an immediate family member.

(c)  An employee shall not be entitled to use sick leave under this Code section until that leave has been earned.  Any employee who uses such sick leave shall comply with the terms of the employer's employee sick leave policy.

(d)  Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to create a new cause of action against an employer.

(e)  This Code section shall not apply to any employer that offers to their employees an employee stock ownership plan.

(f) This Code section shall be repealed in its entirety on July 1, 2020, unless extended by an Act of the General Assembly.

Bone marrow and organ donation leave

Sec. 45-20-31.

(a) Each employee of the State of Georgia or of any branch, department, board, bureau, or commission of the State of Georgia who serves as an organ donor for the purpose of transplantation shall receive a leave of absence, with pay, of 30 days and such leave shall not be charged against or deducted from any annual or sick leave and shall be included as service in computing any retirement or pension benefits. The employee shall not be entitled to such leave of absence with pay unless he or she furnishes to his or her supervisor or other proper authority a statement from a medical practitioner who is to perform such transplantation procedure or from a hospital administrator that the employee is making an organ donation as provided in this Code section. If such donation does not occur, the provisions of this Code section shall not be applicable. For the purposes of this Code section, the term "organ" means a human organ, including an eye, that is capable of being transferred from the body of a person to the body of another person.

(b) Each employee of the State of Georgia or of any branch, department, board, bureau, or commission of the State of Georgia who serves as a bone marrow donor for the purpose of transplantation shall receive a leave of absence, with pay, of seven days and such leave shall not be charged against or deducted from any annual or sick leave and shall be included as service in computing any retirement or pension benefits. The employee shall not be entitled to such leave of absence with pay unless he or she furnishes to his or her supervisor or other proper authority a statement from a medical practitioner who is to perform such transplantation procedure or from a hospital administrator that the employee is serving as a bone marrow donor as provided in this Code section. If such donation does not occur, the provisions of this Code section shall not be applicable.

Teachers

20-2-850. Sick leave

(a)

(1) Each person employed in any public school system of this state in the capacity of teacher, student services support personnel, or administrative and supervisory personnel, hereinafter referred to in this part as "personnel," as classified by the Professional Standards Commission pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 20-2-200, except county or regional librarians, shall be entitled to sick leave with full pay computed on the basis of one and one-fourth working days for each completed contract month, and all unused sick leave shall be accumulated from one contract year to the next up to a maximum of 45 days, except for additional days which may be accumulated for the purposes provided for in Code Section 20-2-853. Personnel may utilize sick leave upon the approval of the local school superintendent or an appointed designee for absence due to illness or injury or necessitated by exposure to contagious disease or to illness or death in the immediate family. Personnel shall be charged with sick leave for absence only on days upon which they would otherwise work, and no charge against sick leave shall be made for absence on Sundays, holidays, or other nonworkdays.

(2) A teacher or other person subject to this subsection shall not be charged with sick leave for absence due to an injury to such teacher or other person caused by a physical assault while such teacher or other person was engaged in the performance of his or her duties; provided, however, that this paragraph shall apply only to the first seven workdays of absence resulting from a single injury. A teacher or other person who is absent for up to seven days due to such an injury also shall not have his or her compensation reduced because of such absence or be required to pay the cost of a substitute.

(b)

(1) Any unused sick and personal leave accumulated by personnel pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section shall be credited to such personnel and shall be transferred when there is a change in the employment of such personnel from one local board of education to another or from a local board of education to an unclassified position in the Department of Education, but no local board of education shall be required to transfer funds to another, nor shall the State Board of Education provide funds to a local unit of administration beyond those authorized by subsection (g) of Code Section 20-2-182 to finance the potential or actual cost incurred by a local unit of administration through the employment of personnel transferring accumulated unused sick and personal leave. Any accumulated unused sick and personal leave credited to personnel shall be forfeited if such personnel withdraw from service for a period of 12 or more consecutive months, unless the withdrawal from service is for educational leave to seek a higher level or different field of certification and provided that the withdrawal from service for this purpose is for no longer than 24 consecutive months.

(2) Any unused sick and personal leave accumulated by personnel employed by the Department of Education shall be credited to such personnel and shall be transferred when there is a change in the employment of such personnel from the Department of Education to a local board of education, but the State Board of Education shall not be required to provide funds to a local unit of administration beyond those authorized by subsection (g) of Code Section 20-2-182 to finance the potential or actual cost incurred by a local unit of administration through the employment of personnel transferring accumulated unused sick and personal leave as authorized in this paragraph. Any accumulated unused sick and personal leave credited to such personnel shall be forfeited if such personnel withdraw from service for a period of 12 or more consecutive months, unless the withdrawal from service is for educational leave to seek a higher level or different field of certification and provided that the withdrawal from service for this purpose is for no longer than 24 consecutive months.

(c)

(1) The sick leave and the accumulation of unused sick leave and the payments for unused sick leave provided for by this part shall be subject to subsection (g) of Code Section 20-2-182, but this part shall not be construed so as to prohibit local boards of education from adopting policies relative to sick leave and the accumulation of unused sick leave and payments for unused sick leave which are supplemental to this part, provided the cost of implementing and maintaining any such supplemental policies shall be paid entirely from local funds.

(2) A local board of education may establish and set policies and procedures for a sick leave bank or pool of voluntarily contributed employee sick leave days. Participating employees shall make equal contributions to the bank or pool. Such employees may draw sick leave days from the bank or pool as provided by adopted local board of education policy. Any other provisions of this part or any other laws to the contrary notwithstanding, state allotted sick leave days funded pursuant to the provisions of subsection (g) of Code Section 20-2-182 may be contributed to or withdrawn from a local board of education sick leave bank or pool subject to the following requirements:

(A) Each employee may contribute only up to a maximum of 45 state funded sick leave days to the bank or pool, but each employee may contribute as many locally funded sick leave days as provided for by local board of education policy; and

(B) Each employee shall be entitled to withdraw from the bank or pool as many state and locally funded sick leave days as provided for by local board of education policy.

(3) Local boards of education shall maintain for each employee an accurate, complete, and up-to-date record of all state and locally funded sick leave days contributed to and withdrawn from the sick leave bank or pool, and such record shall show a separate accounting for state funded and locally funded sick leave days.

(d) No personnel utilizing sick leave under this part shall be required to pay the cost of employing a substitute to serve in their absence on such sick leave.

20-2-851.

During any school year, personnel may utilize up to a maximum of three days of any accumulated sick leave for the purpose of absenting themselves from their duties for personal or professional reasons if prior approval of their absence is given by the local school superintendent or his authorized representative; provided, however, that the absence is not in conflict with a local board of education policy concerning school days on which the presence of the personnel requesting absence is essential for effective school operation. No grant of approval for an absence permitted under this Code section shall be conditioned upon disclosure of the specific purpose for which such absence is sought, nor shall any such grant of approval be withheld or denied because of the failure or refusal of personnel to disclose the specific purpose for which such an absence is sought; provided, however, that personnel may be requested to state whether the absence is sought under the category of "personal" or "professional" absence.

20-2-852. Maternity leave

A leave of absence for maternity reasons shall be granted to a female employed by a public school system in a capacity specified by subsection (a) of Code Section 20-2-850 as follows:

(1) Any such employee who is pregnant shall be entitled to a leave of absence to begin at a time to be determined by the employee, the physician, and the local school superintendent between the commencement of pregnancy and the anticipated date of delivery. The employee shall notify the superintendent in writing of her desire to take such leave and, except in case of emergency, shall give such notice at least 60 calendar days prior to the date on which her leave is to begin. This notice shall include a doctor's statement of anticipated date of physical disability. The employee may continue in active employment as late into her pregnancy as she desires provided she is able to perform properly the required functions of her job. Final determination of ability to perform properly the required job functions shall be made by the local board of education. An employee wishing to work to the date of physical disability shall be entitled to the use of all accumulated sick leave credited to her, not to exceed the doctor's estimated length of physical disability. An employee wishing to discontinue work prior to the date of physical disability shall be governed by the same sick leave provisions as apply to employees on leave for other reasons;

(2) An employee who has been granted leave for the period of physical disability only shall be entitled to return to active employment upon presentation of a doctor's statement of physical ability to perform the required functions of the job and shall be assigned to a substantially equivalent position to be approved by the superintendent. An employee who has been granted leave for a period longer than the period of physical disability, but not to exceed one full school year, shall be entitled to return to active employment upon written request for reassignment and contingent on a vacancy for which the employee is qualified. Such employee shall be given preference equal to any other applicant returning from a period of physical disability for a vacancy for which she is qualified. In any instance, the employee's return to active employment may be delayed until the beginning of a quarter, or semester, in order to maintain continuity of classroom instruction; and

(3) If the local school board disagrees with any doctor's statement of disability or ability, it may appoint a physician of the same medical specialty as the employee's physician for the purpose of receiving independent medical judgment.

20-2-853. Accumulated sick leave

(a) Personnel who have accumulated 45 days of unused sick leave may accumulate additional days of unused sick leave during each school year for the purpose of receiving the payments provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section.

(b) Beginning with the 1988-89 school year and continuing each school year thereafter, personnel who have accumulated 45 days of unused sick leave and who then accumulate additional days of unused sick leave during a school year as authorized by Code Section 20-2-850 and who:

(1) Have used no sick leave in that school year shall receive the state contribution for all those additional days of unused sick leave; or

(2) Have used only one day of those additional days of sick leave in that school year shall receive $50.00 for all those additional days of unused sick leave.

The payment for such additional unused sick leave which is accumulated during a school year shall be paid to such personnel at the end of that school year.