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.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would require employers in Rhode Island to give their full-time employees up to four hours of paid time off, once per year, specifically to donate blood through an approved blood donation program. In other words, a worker would not have to use their vacation time, sick days, or lose pay in order to take time away from work to donate blood — the employer would be required to cover that time as a regular paid workday.

The bill affects full-time employees and their employers across Rhode Island. Workers would benefit by having a dedicated block of paid time to participate in blood donation without any financial penalty. Employers would be responsible for providing and tracking this leave. The bill does not currently define what counts as an "approved blood donation program," which may be a detail that lawmakers would need to clarify before the bill moves forward.

As of now, the bill has been introduced and referred to the House Labor Committee, which has recommended it be held for further study. That means it has not yet advanced toward becoming law, and lawmakers may still make changes to the proposal. No final vote has been taken at this stage.