AN ACT to amend and reenact section 54-06-14.7 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to shared leave for state employees.
House Bill 1599 amends North Dakota law governing the state leave sharing program for permanent state employees. The bill requires the Office of Management and Budget’s human resource management services division to maintain a program allowing employees to donate accrued annual and sick leave to another permanent employee who has exhausted available leave and is dealing with a severe, extreme, or life-threatening medical condition, or who is caring for an immediate family or household member with such a condition.
The measure also confirms that temporary employees and limited-term contracted employees are not eligible to participate. It limits use of donated leave to no more than four months in any 12-month period and bars employees from retaining donated leave beyond the qualifying event. The bill requires medical certification from specified licensed health professionals, directs the division to track leave usage, and authorizes rulemaking to implement the program.
HB1599 updates section 54-06-14.7 of the North Dakota Century Code by refining the administration and eligibility rules for the state employee leave-sharing program. It affects state personnel policy, the Office of Management and Budget, and permanent state employees who may donate or receive leave under qualifying medical circumstances. The bill does not create a new benefit category so much as it clarifies and formalizes how donated leave is verified, tracked, and limited.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House 92-0 and the Senate 45-1, indicating strong bipartisan approval and little visible opposition in the recorded votes. No committee transcripts were provided, but the overwhelming vote margins suggest the measure was viewed as a practical employee-support policy.
There is little evidence of significant contention around HB1599. The only apparent policy boundaries are the exclusion of temporary and limited-term contracted employees, the four-month cap on donated leave in a 12-month period, and the requirement for medical certification, but the vote totals suggest these provisions did not generate major disagreement. Any debate likely centered on administrative safeguards and eligibility limits rather than the overall concept of leave sharing.