Eligible state and legislative employees receive longevity pay in December, with amounts increasing by years of service; designated offices must determine eligibility and certify payments, and the Comptroller must issue warrants.
(a) Each person employed by the State of Alabama, and all legislative personnel, officers, or employees, including but not limited to Legislative Reference Service personnel, whether subject to the state Merit System or not, shall be entitled to and receive in a lump sum the first payday of December each year the sum of three hundred dollars ($300) per annum after such employee has served for a total period of five years and shall receive the payment until the tenth year of total service, at which time the payment shall be made in a like manner and at a like time but in the amount of four hundred dollars ($400) per annum until the fifteenth year of total service, at which time the payment shall be made in a like manner and at a like time but in the amount of five hundred dollars ($500) per annum until the twentieth year of total service, at which time the payment shall be made in a like manner and at a like time but in the amount of six hundred dollars ($600) per annum until the twenty-fifth year of total service, at which time the payment shall be made in a like manner and at a like time, but in the amount of seven hundred dollars ($700) as long as the employee remains in service. Beginning October 1, 2006, and continuing each fiscal year thereafter in which an employee does not receive a cost-of-living increase in compensation, each per annum amount provided in this subsection shall be increased by one hundred dollars ($100) per year to a maximum amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000) for 25 years of total service as long as the employee remains in service. (b) The above payments shall be in addition to all salaries or wages and shall be in addition to any per diem allowances or expense allowance that may be in force at the time of payment. The sum shall not be used in computing retirement or other benefits. (c) Annually, in time for the payroll for the first payday in December, it shall be the duty of the Personnel Department and the Administrative Office of Courts, with regard to judicial employees, the Clerk of the House of Representatives with regard to House of Representative employees, the Secretary of the Senate with regard to the Senate employees, the Director of Legislative Reference Service with regard to Legislative Reference Service employees and all department, board, authority, and commission heads with regard to all state department, board, authority, and commission employees, to determine which state employees are entitled to longevity pay pursuant to this section and the amount thereof due each such employee, and to certify the same to the state Comptroller, who shall issue warrants accordingly. (d) There is hereby appropriated such amounts as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this section beginning October 1, 1987, and each year thereafter, from such funds as the salaries of the several state employees are, respectively, paid, or if there is not sufficient money in such funds, then from the General Fund or any other fund in the State Treasury not otherwise appropriated. Provided, that in the event the General Fund appropriation act contains an appropriation for a bonus for state employees for the fiscal year 1987-88, then any such bonus shall be in lieu of the longevity pay provided by this section for such fiscal year only.