(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, including § 8-30-309, and recognizing the years of faithful and dedicated service to the state of Tennessee by the employees of the community services agencies, community services agency employees who serve in jobs that would be classified as career service, as formerly defined in § 8-30-208 [repealed and reenacted], had they been employed in the state service, and whose functions and positions are transferred to either the department of children's services or the department of health by each department's respective commissioner on or before June 30, 2006, shall be transferred into the department of children's services or the department of health. Such employees shall receive the benefits and protection of career service status and shall be eligible for participation in the state health insurance plan without further examination or competition.

(b) All community service agency employees transferred to the department of children's services or the department of health, pursuant to this part, shall be subject to a minimum probationary period of six (6) months, beginning on the first day of service with the respective department, pursuant to §§ 8-30-312 and 8-30-314, unless the transferred community service agency employee has previously served the minimum six-month probationary period.

(c) All such transfers shall take place no later than June 30, 2006.

(d) Transfers of employees from the community services agencies to the department of children's services or the department of health, pursuant to this section, shall not result in any diminution, impairment or interruption of current salary, accrued sick and annual leave, seniority, participation in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system, or amounts already accrued under a deferred compensation plan; however, this shall not impair the department's authority, through establishing policies and procedures, to correct salary disparities through the promotional process.

(e) Any employee so transferred shall be eligible for promotion pursuant to the provisions of title 8, chapter 30, after the transfer takes effect.

(f) This section shall not apply to a county having a metropolitan form of government whose employees provide services for the community service agencies pursuant to § 37-5-304 .