Identical to H 996, filed 5/2/24.

Enacts GS 126-8.7, requiring the State Human Resources Commission to adopt rules and policies to provide that a permanent, probationary, or time-limited full-time State employee be granted up to three consecutive workdays of paid bereavement leave, or a prorated amount of paid bereavement leave, on the death of any member of the employee's immediate family, defined to include a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, or grandchild, and step, half, and in-law relationships. Specifies criteria that must be included in the Commission's rules and policies, including requiring a requesting employees to submit a statement of the deceased's name and relationship to the employee and to establish a period of aggregated State service required before the employee is leave eligible. Specifies that the leave is available without exhaustion of the employee's earned and awarded leave, has no cash value upon termination, and cannot be used in calculating retirement benefits. Defines the scope of the the statute to include State agency, department, and institution employees, including UNC; public school employees; and community college employees. Directs the appropriate governing board, officer, or entity to adopt rules and policies to award paid bereavement leave to employees that are substantially equivalent to those adopted by the Commission.

Makes conforming changes to GS 126-5, effective July 1, 2024.

Appropriates $2 million from the General Fund to the Reserve for Compensation Increases for 2024-25 to fund the leave authorized by the act. 

Effective July 1, 2024.