Senate committee questions state’s use of paid administrative leave, timelines and costs

The Senate Committee on Government Operations on Feb. 5 heard detailed testimony about the state’s use of paid administrative leave — termed “temporary relief from duty” by the Department of Human Resources — including how cases are investigated, who decides discipline, and why some employees remain on paid leave for months.

Commissioner Beth Bastigy, Commissioner of Human Resources, told the committee that appointing authorities (agency secretaries, department commissioners or their designees) may remove an employee from the workplace and place them on paid temporary relief from duty immediately when allegations arise and that “that is their prerogative for the first 30 days.” She said the department’s investigators then gather facts and typically aim to complete investigative reports in about 80 days before the appointing authority decides whether discipline is appropriate.

The issue matters because the process carries both financial and workforce consequences. Bastigy told senators that the Department of Human Resources’ investigative team completed more than 200 investigations in 2024 and that DHR’s calculation for 2024 payroll costs associated with temporary relief from duty was about $2,600,000 (a figure she said may be slightly higher when final pay periods are included). "We do our very best to meet that 80 days, and my investigators do an excellent…