H 7159Worker Benefits

Public Officers and Employees - Organ-Donation Leave Act

Provides state employees with paid leave to donate organs or bone marrow without using their sick or vacation time.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Introduced Jan 16, 2026Committee House Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation creates the "Organ-Donation Leave Act," which provides paid leave for Rhode Island state employees who choose to donate a kidney, liver segment, or bone marrow. To be eligible, an employee must have completed their probationary period and worked at least 1,250 hours in the previous year. The bill allows for up to 60 days of leave for organ donation and 30 days for bone marrow donation. During this time, employees receive their base pay and continue to accrue sick and annual leave without having to use their existing accrued time off.

For younger readers

This new rule helps people who work for the state government if they want to be a hero and save a life. If a worker decides to give a part of their body, like a kidney or bone marrow, to someone who is very sick, the government will let them stay home to heal. They will still get their regular paycheck while they get better, and they won't lose their vacation days or sick days. This makes it easier for workers to help others get healthy without worrying about money.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

State employeesOrgan transplant recipientsHospital administratorsHuman Resources departmentsTaxpayers

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Promotes public health and community welfare by removing financial barriers for state employees who wish to perform life-saving acts of organ and bone marrow donation.
Protects workers' rights by ensuring they do not have to exhaust their accrued sick or vacation time to recover from a major medical procedure done for charitable reasons.
Demonstrates the state's commitment to being a model employer that values the health and altruism of its workforce, potentially encouraging the private sector to follow suit.
Creates a disparity between public and private sector workers, as this protection is not extended to low-income workers in the private sector who may also want to donate.
The requirement of 1,250 hours worked in the previous year may exclude part-time employees or those with irregular schedules from participating in this life-saving opportunity.
Does not provide additional financial support for the actual medical costs or travel expenses associated with the donation, potentially leaving lower-wage state employees unable to afford the process.

For Conservatives

Facilitates private, voluntary charity by individuals rather than creating a new government-run healthcare bureaucracy to address organ shortages.
May reduce long-term state healthcare expenditures (such as Medicaid costs for dialysis) by increasing the supply of available organs for transplant.
Includes strict eligibility requirements, such as a probationary period and minimum hours worked, ensuring the benefit is reserved for committed, full-time equivalent employees.
Increases the burden on taxpayers by paying public employees full salary for up to two months while they provide no labor to the state.
Expands the already generous benefits package of public sector unions, widening the gap between government perks and the realities of the private sector.
Creates a precedent for "administrative leave" usage that could be exploited or expanded to other non-work-related activities in future legislation.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 34 additions

SECTION 1. Title 36 of the General Laws entitled "PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 36-17-1. Short title. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Organ-Donation Leave Act." 36-17-2. Organ-donation leave.

(a) Eligibility. A state employee who is currently working and has successfully completed an initial probationary period during the current employment period and worked at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours during the previous twelve (12) months shall be eligible for paid leave as provided in this section to donate a kidney, a liver segment, or bone marrow, and medically recover. An eligible employee may take organ-donation leave no more than once in any twelve (12) month period.

(b) Duration. Any organ-donation leave shall begin on the date of donation and end on the earliest of:

(1) Sixty (60) calendar days after a kidney or liver segment donation;

(2) Thirty (30) calendar days after a bone marrow donation;

(3) The date that absence to recover from the donation is no longer supported by documentation from the employee's medical provider as medically necessary;

(4) The date of the employee's seasonal layoff, limited term appointment's expiration, layoff after position abolishment, or separation from state service; or

(5) The date the employee returns to work.

(c) Notice. Before beginning an organ-donation leave, the employee should give as much notice as practicable of the expected start and end date for the leave. Notice should be provided at least thirty (30) days before the leave's expected start.

(d) Pay. An eligible full-time employee on organ-donation leave shall receive base pay during the leave. An eligible less-than-full-time employee on an organ-donation leave, for each week during the leave, shall receive base pay for the average number of hours scheduled each week over the last six (6) pay periods before the leave, distributed equally Monday through Friday. Hours shall be entered in payroll as administrative leave.

(e) Holidays. Paid holidays observed during a leave shall be recorded as paid holidays and do not extend an organ-donation leave.

(f) Leave and accruals. An employee need not exhaust sick and annual leave before taking organ-donation leave. An employee shall accrue sick and annual leave during the leave. An eligible employee shall not use any other paid leave during any organ donation leave. Time on organ- donation leave shall count toward step increases if an employee is in satisfactory standing.

(g) Coordination with other benefits. Time on organ-donation leave shall also count toward any Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and unpaid medical leave entitlements.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.