(a) The director shall conduct tests to establish employment registers for the various classes of positions in the classified service. The tests shall take into consideration elements of character, reputation, education, aptitude, experience, knowledge, skill, personality, physical fitness and other pertinent matters and may be written or oral or any other demonstration of fitness as the director may determine. For a promotion test, the qualifications shall include the requirement that an applicant be employed in a position in such class and for such length of time, as the director shall specify, subject to the rules. Public notice of the time, place and general scope of every test shall be given. The director, with the approval of the board, shall determine the qualifications for admission to any test. Admission to tests shall be open to all persons who appear to possess the required qualifications and may be lawfully appointed to a position in the class for which a list is to be established, and no fee shall be charged therefor. The director may, however, reject the application of any person for admission to a test or may strike the name of any person from a list or refuse to certify the name of any person on a list for a position if he finds that such person lacks any of the required qualifications or is physically unfit to perform effectively the duties of the position in which he seeks employment or is addicted to the habitual excessive use of drugs or intoxicating liquor or has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or guilty of any notoriously disgraceful conduct or has been dismissed from the public service for delinquency or has made a false statement of a material fact or practiced or attempted to practice any fraud or deception in his application or test or in attempting to secure appointment.
(b) All persons who have been honorably discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard who have ever served in the armed forces of the United States at any time shall have five points added to any earned ratings in examination for entrance to the classified service. All persons who have ever served in the armed forces of the United States at any time who have been honorably discharged and who established by official records of the United States the present existence of a service-connected disability and because of disability are entitled to pension, compensation or disability allowance under existing laws and widows of such persons who shall have died in line of duty during any such period and widows of such persons who shall have been honorably discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard and wives of such persons who shall have been honorably discharged from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard who, because of service-connected disability are not themselves qualified but whose wives are qualified, shall have 10 points added to any earned ratings. In entering upon registers the names of preference claimants entitled to five additional points, they will take the place to which their ratings entitle them on the register with nonveterans (the earned ratings augmented by the five points to which they are entitled) and will be certified when their ratings are reached. The name of a veteran with the augmented rating is entered ahead of the name of a nonveteran when their ratings are the same. The names of persons entitled to a 10-point preference, however, will be placed ahead of all others on the register with the same rating (ahead of veterans entitled to a five-point preference and nonveterans) and shall be then certified in the order of their augmented ratings. An appointing officer who passes over a veteran eligible and selects a nonveteran with the same or lower rating shall file with the director the reasons for so doing, which reasons will become a part of the veteran's record but will not be made available to anyone other than the veteran himself, except in the discretion of the appointing officer. When reductions are being made in any part of the classified service, persons entitled to military preference in appointment shall be the last to be discharged or dropped or reduced in rank or salary if their record is good or if their efficiency rating is equal to that of any employee in competition with them who is retained in the service in their department.
(c) The board shall, in establishing and administering standards of personnel qualifications, pay plans and tests both for personnel now in place as well as that later employed, cooperate with and avail itself fully of the advice and assistance of the appointing authorities involved and of the federal government in those departments administered in whole or in part with federal funds.
Structure Code of Alabama
Title 36 - Public Officers and Employees.
Chapter 26 - State Personnel Department and Merit System.
Article 1 - General Provisions.
Section 36-26-1 - Short Title.
Section 36-26-2 - Definitions.
Section 36-26-3 - Purposes of Article.
Section 36-26-4 - State Personnel Department Created; Composition; Executive Head; Offices.
Section 36-26-6 - State Personnel Board - Meetings; Powers and Duties Generally.
Section 36-26-7 - Director of Personnel - Appointment; Qualifications; Salary; Removal.
Section 36-26-9 - Promulgation, etc., of Rules for Implementation of Provisions of Article.
Section 36-26-11 - Classification of Positions, etc., in State Service.
Section 36-26-12 - Preparation, etc., of Pay Plan for Employees in State Service.
Section 36-26-14 - Deferred Compensation Plans for Certain Employees.
Section 36-26-15.1 - Proof of Registration Required for Employment or School Enrollment.
Section 36-26-16 - Certification for Employment of Handicapped Persons.
Section 36-26-18 - Extraordinary Appointments.
Section 36-26-20 - Employee Training Programs.
Section 36-26-23 - Promotions.
Section 36-26-26 - Layoffs; Furloughs.
Section 36-26-27 - Dismissals and Disciplining of Employees Generally.
Section 36-26-27.1 - Placement of Disciplinary Documents in the Personnel File of a State Employee.
Section 36-26-28 - Suspensions.
Section 36-26-29 - Limitation Period for Charges for Dismissal or Disciplinary Action.
Section 36-26-31 - Granting of Leave of Absence for Service in Armed Forces of United States.
Section 36-26-32 - Restoration of Employee to Former Position After Service in Armed Forces.
Section 36-26-34 - Granting, etc., of Time Off to Comply With Religious Obligations.
Section 36-26-35 - Annual Leave.
Section 36-26-35.1 - Annual Leave Carry Over Limit Increased for Certain Personnel.
Section 36-26-35.2 - Annual Leave.
Section 36-26-36.2 - Donation of Leave; Implementation.
Section 36-26-36.3 - Bereavement Leave.
Section 36-26-38 - Political Activities Prohibited.
Section 36-26-42 - Representation of Department in Judicial Proceedings.
Section 36-26-43 - Use of State, County, etc., Buildings for Examinations and Investigations, Etc.
Section 36-26-44 - Inspection of Records of Department.
Section 36-26-45 - Payment of Expenses of Department.
Section 36-26-46 - State Capitol Guides Classified as "Capitol hostesses."
Section 36-26-47 - Penalties for Violations of Provisions of Article.
Section 36-26-48 - Lump-Sum Merit Reward Payments for Certain Full-Time State Employees.