Increases days of paid leave of absence for public employees who serve in United States Reserves.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Robert Karabinchak and 1 co-sponsor

Increases public workers' paid leave for Federal active-duty from 30 to 90 workdays per year, with excess days unpaid but not losing time or accruals.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee

Summary of Assembly Bill A-3888 (Session 222, New Jersey)

Purpose and intent

The bill seeks to increase the amount of paid leave of absence that public employees who serve in United States military reserves may receive to perform Federal active duty.

Specifically, it would raise the paid leave entitlement from 30 workdays per calendar year to 90 workdays per calendar year, for members of the United States Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, or other affiliated organizations (including the National Guard of other states).

Key provisions and changes

Eligibility:

Applies to permanent or full-time temporary officers or employees of the State, or of a board, commission, authority, or other instrumentality of the State; or of a county, school district, or municipality.
Must be a member of a U.S. military reserve component or affiliated organization (as listed), engaging in Federal active duty.

Paid leave entitlement:

The bill maintains that such employees shall be entitled, in addition to any pay they receive as reserve members, to leave of absence from their public duties without loss of pay or time on all work days they are engaged in Federal active duty.
The initial current cap is increased from 30 workdays per calendar year to 90 workdays per calendar year.
Leave up to 90 workdays per calendar year is paid.
Any leave beyond 90 workdays in a calendar year would be without pay but without loss of time (i.e., the employee would not lose accruals or service time for those days, but would not receive pay).

Special case for short-term temporary appointments:

If a full-time temporary employee has served under temporary appointment for less than one year, they would receive leave without pay but without loss of time for the described military service (i.e., no paid leave until the threshold is met or for longer-term appointments).

Effective date:

The act would take effect immediately upon enactment.

Who would be affected

Public employees at the state level and those employed by counties, school districts, municipalities, or state boards, commissions, authorities, or other state instrumentalities who are members of U.S. Reserve components and participate in Federal active duty.

The provision specifically covers members of the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and related National Guard units from other states.

Procedural and timeline notes

Status: Introduced and referred to the Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee on January 13, 2026.

No amendments or final passage dates are provided in the current text; the bill is in early stage of the legislative process.

Potential impact and considerations

Positives:

Greater paid leave for reservists could improve financial stability for public employees serving in Federal active duty.
May help ensure continuity of employment and reduce the risk of income loss during extended deployments.

Considerations:

The fiscal impact on public employers could be significant, given the expansion from 30 to 90 paid days per year.
Employers would need to manage staffing and scheduling to accommodate longer paid leaves without compromising services.
The policy aligns with broader protections for reservists, potentially aiding recruitment and retention of reserve members in the public sector.

Overall, A-3888 would substantially enlarge the annual paid leave allowance for public employees serving in U.S. military reserves, extending such paid leave to 90 workdays per calendar year, with any excess beyond that threshold unpaid but without loss of time.