North Carolina HB 31: Make Election Day A State Holiday.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 31

Short Title: Make Election Day A State Holiday. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Biggs, Ross, N. Jackson, and K. Hall (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
February 4, 2025
*H31-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO AMEND THE STATE HUMAN RESOURCES ACT TO MAKE THE 2
STATEWIDE GENERAL ELECTION DAY A PAID HOLIDAY FOR STATE 3
EMPLOYEES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 126-4 reads as rewritten: 6
"§ 126-4. Powers and duties of State Human Resources Commission. 7
Subject to the approval of the Governor, the State Human Resources Commission shall 8
establish policies and rules governing each of the following: 9
... 10
(5) Hours and days of work, holidays, vacation, sick leave, and other matters 11
pertaining to the conditions of employment. The legal public holidays 12
established by the Commission as paid holidays for State employees shall 13
include Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday and Veterans Day. Birthday, 14
Veterans Day, and each statewide general election day. The Commission shall 15
not provide for more than 12 13 paid holidays per year, with three paid 16
holidays being given for Christmas. 17
(5a) In years in which New Year's Day falls on Saturday, the Commission may 18
designate December 31 of the previous calendar year as the New Year's 19
holiday, provided that the number of holidays for the previous calendar year 20
does not exceed 12 13 and the number of holidays for the current year does 21
not exceed 10. 11. When New Year's Day falls on either Saturday or Sunday, 22
the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina that adopt 23
alternative dates to recognize the legal public holidays set forth in subdivision 24
(5) of this section and established by the Commission may designate, in 25
accordance with the rules of the Commission and the requirements of this 26
subdivision, December 31 of the previous calendar year as the New Year's 27
holiday. 28
... 29
The policies and rules of the Commission shall not limit the power of any elected or appointed 30
department head, in the department head's discretion and upon the department head's 31
determination that it is in the best interest of the Department, to transfer, demote, or separate a 32
State employee who is not a career State employee as defined by this Chapter." 33
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law. 34