S2623aaWorker Benefits

Public Officers and Employees - Organ-Donation Leave Act

This bill provides eligible state employees with paid time off to donate a kidney, liver segment, or bone marrow.

Introduced38 Yea0 Nay0 Not voting

Population
Affected

Introduced Feb 13, 2026Committee Senate Labor & Gaming

Plain-English Summary

This bill creates the "Organ-Donation Leave Act," which provides paid time off for eligible state employees who donate a kidney, liver segment, or bone marrow. To qualify, an employee must have finished their probationary period and worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year. Employees receive their base pay and can take up to 60 days of leave for a kidney or liver donation, or up to 30 days for a bone marrow donation. This leave can be used without having to exhaust their regular sick or vacation time first.

For younger readers

This bill gives people who work for the state government paid time off if they donate an organ, like a kidney or part of their liver, or bone marrow to help someone who is sick. They can get paid for up to 60 days while they rest and get better after the surgery. They do not have to use their regular vacation or sick days to do this. To get this paid time off, the person must have worked for the state for a certain amount of time already.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

State employeesOrgan and bone marrow donorsOrgan transplant recipientsState payroll and human resources departmentsFamilies of organ donors

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Expands the social safety net for public sector workers by ensuring they do not lose income or benefits while providing a life-saving organ donation.
Promotes public health and community welfare by removing financial barriers to organ and bone marrow donation, potentially saving the lives of vulnerable individuals on transplant waitlists.
Protects workers' earned time off by allowing them to take this medical leave without being forced to exhaust their accrued sick or vacation days first.
Excludes private-sector workers, leaving many low-income and marginalized individuals without the same financial protections if they choose to donate an organ.
Imposes a strict 1,250-hour work requirement over the previous twelve months, which may exclude part-time or newer state employees from accessing this benefit.
Limits the paid leave to base pay only, which may result in a financial strain for workers who rely on overtime or shift differentials to meet basic living expenses.

For Conservatives

Encourages voluntary, private acts of charity and self-sacrifice (organ donation) without creating a broad, costly new entitlement program for the general public.
Applies only to state employees who have proven their work ethic by completing a probationary period and working at least 1,250 hours in the past year.
Limits the benefit strictly to the medical recovery period, capping the leave at a maximum of 30 or 60 days to prevent abuse of the system.
Increases the cost of government by forcing taxpayers to fund up to 60 days of paid administrative leave for state employees who are not working.
Creates special privileges for public sector employees that are not mandated or typically available for workers in the private sector.
Allows state employees to continue accruing additional sick and vacation time while they are already out on paid administrative leave, further increasing taxpayer burdens.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 37 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) In the event the individual is participating as a bone marrow transplant donor or a living organ donor, benefits under this section shall cover time needed for any procedures, medical tests, and surgeries related to the donation.

(h) 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.