Increases days of paid leave of absence for public employees who serve in a Reserve component of the United States Armed Forces.*

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Jim Beach and 1 co-sponsor

The bill ensures public employees who serve in U.S. military reserves receive up to 90 days of paid leave per calendar year for federal active duty, in addition to regular leave.

Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee

Summary of Bill S. 4264 (2026) – New Jersey

Purpose and overall goal

The bill increases the amount of paid leave of absence available to public employees who serve in United States reserve components (including Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and National Guard units from other states).

It aims to expand existing statutory paid leave from 30 workdays per calendar year to 90 workdays per calendar year for federal active duty service, with any days beyond that still treated as unpaid leave without loss of time.

Key provisions

Amends N.J.S.A. 38:23-1 to specify:

Eligible employees: permanent or full-time temporary officers or employees of the State, or of a State board/commission/authority/instrumentality, or of a county, school district, or municipality, who are members of the organized reserve of the U.S. military or affiliated organizations (including National Guard of other states).
Paid leave entitlement: in addition to regular compensation, eligible employees receive paid leave of absence on all workdays they are engaged in Federal active duty, up to a maximum of 90 workdays in a calendar year.
This paid leave is in addition to any regular vacation or accrued leave.
Any reserve duty beyond 90 workdays in a calendar year would be unpaid leave but would not count as time lost (i.e., no penalty to seniority/pay status).
A clarification for temporary appointees: full-time temporary employees serving under temporary appointment for less than one year receive unpaid leave without loss of time for the described reserve duty.

Effective date: the act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

Public sector employees in New Jersey who serve in U.S. military reserve components or National Guard units from other states.

Employers covered: State, counties, municipalities, school districts, and other state instrumentalities (boards, commissions, authorities).

Specific group: both permanent and full-time temporary employees who are reserve members.

Procedural and timing aspects

Legislative history:

Introduced May 14, 2026.
Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee; later reported with amendments.
Subsequently referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Status: As of the latest updates, the bill has progressed through committee stages and is positioned for potential floor consideration.

Effective date: Immediate if enacted.

Potential impact and considerations

Financial impact on public employers: increased paid leave obligations up to 90 days per year may affect staffing planning, leave management, and potential costs associated with replacing or covering duties during extended reserve-related absences.

Employee benefits: substantial improvement in paid time off for reserve duty, potentially improving compliance with and support for military service obligations.

Administrative considerations: employers will need to track days of reserve active duty to ensure compliance with the 90-day cap and differentiate paid versus unpaid leave beyond that threshold.

Equity and consistency: clarifies that reserve service time is treated consistently for all covered public employees, aligning with protections for those who serve in the reserves.

If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison with the current law (30 days paid leave) and a quick impact assessment by employer type (state vs. municipal) and potential fiscal effects.