Bill would replace Election Day holiday with a floating holiday for legislative staff

Sen. Derek Harvey introduced Senate Bill 87, saying the bill "simply removes election day as one of the listed holidays for our staff and replaces it with a floating holiday." He told the committee the change follows recommendations from the Legislative Council to find efficiencies and prevent staff from accruing comp time for Election Day work.

Kelly D'Silva, HR director for the legislative branch, appeared as an informational witness and confirmed the intent is parity with executive-branch practice. She explained the floating holiday would be "use or lose" within the year and require supervisor approval, like other approved time off. Committee members asked whether the statutory reference applies statewide or only to executive-branch employees; D'Silva clarified that the language in current statute defines executive-branch employees and that the bill is intended to align legislative HR policy with that existing practice.

Vice Chair Walsh pressed whether the floating holiday would apply across constitutional offices; D'Silva and the sponsor said current statute treats executive-branch employees as covered, and the bill's goal is parity for legislative branch staff. Representative Perry asked whether the change would create consistency across branches; D'Silva replied it would.

Sen. Harvey closed urging a 'do pass' recommendation. The committee ended the hearing on SB87 with no final vote recorded and said executive action on the bills heard will be taken at a later meeting.