Idaho grants executive-branch employees two additional paid days off for America250 observance
Idaho Gov. Brad Little has granted eligible executive-branch employees two additional paid leave days around the state’s 2026 Independence Day observance, directing agencies at the same time to preserve essential government and public-safety services.
Little signed Executive Order 2026-06 on June 22. The executive action designates Thursday, July 2, and Monday, July 6, as paid leave days for eligible employees in the executive branch. Friday, July 3, is Idaho’s state-observed Independence Day holiday.
The schedule creates a three-day state holiday period spanning July 2, July 3 and July 6 for covered workers, subject to agency staffing requirements for functions that must continue operating.
Executive order applies to eligible executive-branch workers
The action is an executive order issued by the governor, not legislation passed by the Idaho Legislature. Executive Order 2026-06 is listed by the Office of the Governor of Idaho among the state’s executive orders for 2026.
Its scope is limited to eligible executive-branch employees. The order does not establish the two additional leave days for all public employees in Idaho, and the approved information does not support extending the policy to local-government employees.
The governor’s office tied the additional time off to America250, the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The two dates granted by the order fall immediately before and after the July 3 state holiday.
July 2 and July 6 are the additional leave dates created through the order. July 3 remains the separately scheduled state-observed Independence Day holiday, rather than one of the two additional days authorized by Executive Order 2026-06.
Agencies must maintain core operations
The order does not direct state agencies to halt essential operations during the leave period. Instead, it instructs agency directors to maintain essential government functions and public-safety services while providing the designated leave.
That requirement leaves agency leaders responsible for arranging coverage for work that must continue on July 2 and July 6. The order specifically addresses employees whose duties require them to work on either of those days: They are to be compensated under applicable law, rules and agency policies.
The compensation provision is tied to employees required to work on the two additional leave dates. It does not change the order’s basic designation of July 2 and July 6 as paid leave days for eligible executive-branch employees.
What changes in July
For eligible employees, the immediate policy change is the addition of paid leave on Thursday, July 2, and Monday, July 6, on either side of the Friday, July 3, state-observed holiday. For executive agencies, the order changes scheduling for that period while preserving an obligation to sustain essential services.
The order’s implementation dates are fixed in the July 2026 calendar: July 2 for the first added leave day, July 3 for the state-observed Independence Day holiday, and July 6 for the second added leave day. Employees assigned to work on the added leave days are covered by the compensation direction under applicable employment requirements and agency policies.
The governor’s release does not provide an employee count for those eligible for the leave, nor does it state a fiscal-cost estimate for the additional paid time off. It also does not identify additional America250 leave dates beyond July 2 and July 6.
As an issued executive order, rather than a pending proposal or a measure awaiting a legislative vote, Executive Order 2026-06 establishes the leave schedule for the specified July period. The next known operational step is agency implementation of staffing plans that provide covered leave while maintaining essential government and public-safety coverage.
Sources
- Gov. Little grants additional leave for state employees to celebrate America250, Office of the Governor of Idaho
- Executive Orders, Office of the Governor of Idaho