MA Governor Signs Leave Law for Organ Donation

BNA reports that, under the new law employees who donate an organ can take up to 30 days of leave “without loss of or reduction in pay, without loss of leave to which he is otherwise entitled and without loss of credit for time or service.”   The state bill authorizes cities, counties, and towns to adopt the policy also.

Employees are required to provide seven days notice for the leave if practicable, and “such notice as is practicable” in emergency situations.   BNA said the statute authorizes the state attorney general to issue regulations on certification supporting the leave and to enforce the measure.

The bill is modeled after the Federal Organ Donor Leave Act from 1999, according to BNA.   That act increased the time off for federal employees who donated organs from seven days to 30 days.   The National Kidney Foundation reports that, since the 1999 measure, 21 states and the District of Columbia have passed similar laws, BNA said.