(a) If a municipality or county has or implements a personnel policy that places an employee on leave for a period of time immediately following an arrest of the employee, the municipality or county shall implement a policy of restoring back pay to the employee if the charges are dropped or the employee is found not guilty of the charges. This requirement does not apply if the employee: (1) Pleads guilty to the charges or enters into a plea agreement on the charges; or(2) Separates from employment voluntarily before the charges are dropped or before the employee is found not guilty, or if the employee is administratively terminated for a reason other than the arrest.(b) Public records related to an administrative action against an employee must be maintained for the applicable retention period and are not subject to destruction under § 40-32-101. Such public records are maintained solely for the purposes of documenting the administrative action and submissions in litigation.Amended by 2021 Tenn. Acts, ch. 470, s 1, eff. 5/18/2021. Acts 2008 , ch. 1105, § 1.