(A) Each full-time permanent employee paid in accordance with section 124.152 of the Revised Code and those full-time permanent employees listed in divisions (B)(2) and (4) of section 124.14 of the Revised Code shall be credited with thirty-two hours of personal leave each year. Each part-time permanent employee paid in accordance with section 124.152 of the Revised Code and those part-time permanent employees listed in divisions (B)(2) and (4) of section 124.14 of the Revised Code shall receive a pro-rated personal leave credit as determined by rule of the director of administrative services. The credit shall be made to each eligible employee in the first pay the employee receives in December. Employees, upon giving reasonable notice to the responsible administrative officer of the appointing authority, may use personal leave for absence due to mandatory court appearances, legal or business matters, family emergencies, unusual family obligations, medical appointments, weddings, religious holidays not listed in section 124.19 of the Revised Code, or any other matter of a personal nature. Personal leave may not be used on a holiday when an employee is scheduled to work.

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Personal leave is not available for use until it appears on the employee’s earning statement and the compensation described in the earning statement is available to the employee.

There shall be a moratorium on personal leave accrual beginning with the credit employees would have received in December 2009, except as otherwise provided in divisions (H)(1) and (2) of this section. Personal leave accrual shall resume with employees receiving credit in December 2011 and there shall be no retroactive grant of credit for the period the moratorium was in effect.

(B) When personal leave is used by an employee of either house of the general assembly or an employee of a legislative agency, it shall be deducted from the unused balance of the employee’s personal leave in the manner prescribed by the employee’s administrative authority. When personal leave is used by an employee described in division (A) of this section who is not an employee of either house of the general assembly or of a legislative agency, it shall be deducted from the unused balance of the employee’s personal leave on the basis of absence in such increments of an hour as the director of administrative services determines. Compensation for personal leave shall be equal to the employee’s base rate of pay.

(C) A newly appointed full-time permanent employee or a non-full-time employee who receives a full-time permanent appointment shall be credited with personal leave of thirty-two hours, less one and two-tenths hours for each pay period that has elapsed following the first paycheck the employee receives in December, until the first day of the pay period during which the appointment was effective.

(D) The director of administrative services shall allow employees to elect one of the following options with respect to the unused balance of personal leave:

(1) Carry forward the balance. The maximum credit that shall be available to an employee at any one time is forty hours.

(2) Convert the balance to accumulated sick leave, to be used in the manner provided by section 124.382 of the Revised Code;

(3) Receive a cash benefit. The cash benefit shall equal one hour of the employee’s base rate of pay for every hour of unused credit that is converted. An employee serving in a temporary work level who elects to convert unused personal leave to cash shall do so at the base rate of pay of the employee’s normal classification. Such cash benefit shall not be subject to contributions to any of the retirement systems, either by the employee or the employer.

There shall be a moratorium on the payment for conversion of unused personal leave until December 2011, except as otherwise provided in divisions (H)(1) and (2) of this section.

(E) A full-time permanent employee who separates from state service or becomes ineligible to be credited with leave under this section shall receive a reduction of personal leave credit of one and two-tenths hours for each pay period that remains beginning with the first pay period following the date of separation or the effective date of the employee’s ineligibility until the pay period preceding the next base pay period. After calculation of the reduction of an employee’s personal leave credit, the employee is entitled to compensation for any remaining personal leave credit at the employee’s current base rate of pay. If the reduction results in a number of hours less than zero, the cash equivalent value of such number of hours shall be deducted from any compensation that remains payable to the employee, or from the cash conversion value of any vacation or sick leave that remains credited to the employee. An employee serving in a temporary work level who is eligible to receive compensation under this section shall be compensated at the base rate of pay of the employee’s normal classification.

(F) An employee who transfers from one public agency to another public agency in which the employee is eligible for the credit provided under this section shall be credited with the unused balance of personal leave.

(G) The director of administrative services shall establish procedures to uniformly administer this section. No personal leave may be granted to a state employee upon or after retirement or termination of employment.

(H)(1) The moratoria imposed under divisions (A) and (D)(3) of this section shall apply to employees of the secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, and attorney general who are subject to this section unless the secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, or attorney general decides to exempt the office’s employees from the moratoria and so notifies the director of administrative services in writing on or before November 1, 2009.

(2) The moratoria imposed under divisions (A) and (D)(3) of this section do not apply to employees of the supreme court, the general assembly, and the legislative service commission who are subject to this section, unless the supreme court, general assembly, or legislative service commission decides to include those employees in the moratoria and so notifies the director of administrative services in writing on or before November 1, 2009. Written notice shall be signed by the appointing authority for employees of the supreme court, general assembly, or legislative service commission as the case may be.