AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- HEALTHY AND SAFE FAMILIES AND WORKPLACES ACT (Requires employers to provide full-time employees four (4) hours of paid leave once a year to donate blood through and any approved blood donation program.)

S2928

2026 -- S 2928
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LC005317
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- HEALTHY AND SAFE FAMILIES
AND WORKPLACES ACT

Introduced By:
Senators Vargas, Quezada, Lauria, Bell, Appollonio, Urso, and
Thompson

Date Introduced:
March 04, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Labor & Gaming
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 28-57-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 28-57 entitled "Healthy and
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Safe Families and Workplaces Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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28-57-6. Use of paid sick and safe leave time.
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(a) Paid sick and safe leave time shall be provided to an employee by an employer for:
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(1) An employee’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; an employee’s
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need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health
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condition; an employee’s need for preventive medical care;
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(2) Care of a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition;
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care of a family member who needs medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical
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illness, injury, or health condition; care of a family member who needs preventive medical care;
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(3) Closure of the employee’s place of business by order of a public official due to a public
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health emergency or an employee’s need to care for a child whose school or place of care has been
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closed by order of a public official due to a public health emergency, or care for oneself or a family
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member when it has been determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a healthcare
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provider that the employee’s or family member’s presence in the community may jeopardize the
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health of others because of their exposure to a communicable disease, whether or not the employee
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or family member has actually contracted the communicable disease;
or
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(4) Time off needed when the employee or a member of the employee’s family is a victim

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of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking
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; or
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(5) Donating blood at an approved blood donation program including but not limited to the
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Rhode Island Blood Center or any other blood donation program approved by the American
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Association of Blood Banks, the American Red Cross, or another nationally recognized blood
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donation organization.
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(i) A full-time employee shall be entitled to take up to four (4) hours of paid blood donation
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leave in a calendar year to donate blood through an approved blood donation program.
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(ii) Blood donation leave shall be paid at the employee’s regular rate of pay and shall not
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result in the loss of time, pay, or benefits otherwise accrued by the employee.
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(iii) A full-time employee seeking to take leave for blood donation shall provide reasonable
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advance notice to the employer, subject to the operational needs of the employer.
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(iv) An employer may require the employee to provide written verification from the
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approved blood donation program, confirming that the employee donated blood on the date for
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which leave was requested.
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(v) A full-time employee utilizing blood donation leave shall provide documentation to the
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employer’s human resources department or other designated employer representative, verifying
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participation in an approved blood donation program.
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(vi) No employer shall discharge, threaten, penalize, or otherwise discriminate against an
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employee for requesting or taking blood donation leave, in accordance with this section.
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(vii) This blood donation subsection can only be used once a year.
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(b) Paid sick and safe leave time shall be provided upon the request of an employee. Such
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request may be made orally, in writing, by electronic means, or by any other means acceptable to
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the employer. When possible, the request shall include the expected duration of the absence.
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(c) When the use of paid sick and safe leave time is foreseeable, the employee shall provide
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notice of the need for this time to the employer in advance of the use of the sick and safe leave time
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and shall make a reasonable effort to schedule the use of sick and safe leave time in a manner that
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does not unduly disrupt the operations of the employer.
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(d) An employer who or that requires notice of the need to use earned paid sick and safe
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leave time where the need is not foreseeable shall provide a written policy that contains procedures
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for the employee to provide notice. An employer who or that has not provided to the employee a
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copy of its written policy for providing such notice shall not deny earned paid sick and safe leave
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time to the employee based on noncompliance with such a policy.
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(e) Unless otherwise in conflict with state or federal law or regulations, an employee may
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decide how much sick time to use; provided, however, that an employer may set a minimum

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increment for the use of sick time, not to exceed four (4) hours per day, provided this minimum
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increment is reasonable under the circumstances.
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(f) For paid sick and safe leave time of more than three (3) consecutive work days, an
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employer may require reasonable documentation that the paid sick and safe leave time has been
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used for a purpose covered by subsection (a) of this section if the employer has notified the
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employee in writing of this requirement in advance of the employee’s use of paid sick and safe
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time. An employer may not require that the documentation explain the nature of the illness or the
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details of the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking unless required by existing government
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regulation or law. Nothing in this provision shall be construed to conflict with existing government
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regulation or law.
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(1) An employer may require written documentation for an employee’s use of earned sick
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time that occurs within two (2) weeks prior to an employee’s final scheduled day of work before
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termination of employment.
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(2) Documentation signed by a healthcare professional indicating that paid sick leave time
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is necessary shall be considered reasonable documentation under subsection (a) of this section.
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(3) One of the following, of the employee’s choosing, shall be considered reasonable
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documentation of an absence under subsection (a)(4) of this section:
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(i) An employee’s written statement that the employee or the employee’s family member
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is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking and that the leave taken was for one of
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the purposes of subsection (a)(4) of this section;
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(ii) A police report indicating that the employee or employee’s family member was a victim
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of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
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(iii) A court document indicating that the employee or employee’s family member is
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involved in legal action related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking; or
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(iv) A signed statement from a victim and witness advocate affirming that the employee or
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employee’s family member is receiving services from a victim services organization or is involved
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in legal action related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
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(g) An employer’s requirements for verification may not result in an unreasonable burden
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or expense on the employee and may not exceed privacy or verification requirements otherwise
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established by law.
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(h) Paid sick and safe leave cannot be used as an excuse to be late for work without an
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authorized purpose.
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(i) If an employee is committing fraud or abuse by engaging in an activity that is not
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consistent with allowable purposes for paid sick and safe leave in this section, an employer may

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discipline the employee, up to and including termination of employment for misuse of sick leave.
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(j) If an employee is exhibiting a clear pattern of taking leave on days just before or after a
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weekend, vacation, or holiday, an employer may discipline the employee for misuse of paid sick
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and safe leave, unless the employee provides reasonable documentation that the paid sick and safe
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leave time has been used for a purpose covered by subsection (a) of this section.
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(k) An employer may not require, as a condition of providing earned paid sick and safe
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time under this chapter, that the employee search for or find a replacement worker to cover the
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hours during which the employee is using paid sick and safe leave time. However, if an employee
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is absent from work for any reason listed in subsection (a) of this section and by mutual consent of
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the employer and the employee the employee works an equivalent number of additional hours or
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shifts during the same or the next pay period as the hours or shifts not worked due to reasons listed
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in subsection (a) of this section, an employee shall not be required to use accrued and earned paid
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or unpaid sick time for the employee’s absence during that time period, and the employer shall not
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be required to pay for sick time taken during the time period.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- HEALTHY AND SAFE FAMILIES
AND WORKPLACES ACT
***
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This act would require employers to provide full-time employees four (4) hours of paid
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leave, once a year to donate blood through an approved blood donation program.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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