Requires certain employers to provide paid leave to employees serving in elective office.

A2179

ASSEMBLY, No. 2179

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires certain employers to provide paid leave to
employees serving in elective office.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

requiring employers to provide paid leave to
employees serving in elective office, and supplementing Title 34 of the Revised
Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� a.� The employer of a
person serving in elective office at the State, county, or municipal level or
any political subdivision thereof shall, upon receiving written application
from that person, grant that person 15 days of paid time off per calendar year and
a leave of absence without pay from regular, full-time employment for the
purpose of serving in elective office.

���� b.� A leave of absence used by
a person pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall not interrupt the net
credited service, privileges, and benefits earned by a person at the place of
employment.� However, the employer shall not be required to pay for the
employer�s portion of the person�s benefits when the person is on a leave of
absence.

���� c.� The use of the paid time
off granted pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall not interrupt the
net credited service, privileges, and benefits earned by a person at the place
of employment.� The employer shall continue to pay for the employer�s portion
of the person�s benefits whenever the person uses the allotted number of paid
days.

���� d.� An employer shall not
prohibit a person serving in elective office from returning to regular,
full-time employment before the period for which the leave of absence was
granted ends.

���� e��� The leave of absence and
paid time off described in subsection a. of this section shall not apply to a
person running for elective office or not yet serving in elective office.�

���� f.� As used in this section:

���� �Employer� means:

���� (1)� any entity that employs
more than 20 full-time employees at a time, regardless of location; or

���� (2)� a public employer,
regardless of the number of employees the public employer employs.

���� �Public employer� means the
State or any political subdivision of the State; a county or municipality, or
any political subdivision of a county or municipality; or any local or regional
school district, charter school and its board of trustees, vocational school
district, educational services commission, jointure commission, county� special
services school district, community college, county college, public institution
of higher education
,
or board or commission
under the authority of the Commissioner of Education, the State Board of
Education, or the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides that
employees, including employees working for an employer with 20 or more
full-time employees or a public employer, who serve in elective office at the
municipal, county, and state level shall be entitled to no more than 15 days
per calendar year of paid time off and a leave of absence without pay from regular,
full-time employment to fulfill elective duties upon providing written
application to the employer.� Any leave of absence or paid time off taken under
this provision will not affect or interrupt the net credited services,
privileges, and benefits offered by the employer to the employee.� However, the
employer is not under any obligation to pay a portion of the employee�s
benefits during a leave of absence, only when an employee uses the allotted 15
paid days.�

���� The bill provides that an
employer shall not prohibit an employee from returning to regular employment
before the end of the approved leave period.� The leave of absence and paid
time off described in this provision do not apply to a person running for elective
office or not yet in an elected position.� This provision applies to all
employers who employ 20 or more full-time employees at a time, regardless of
location.