Idaho governor signs order granting state employees two additional paid holidays for America250
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed Executive Order 2026-06 on June 22, granting eligible executive-branch employees two additional paid-leave days in connection with America250, the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The added leave days are Thursday, July 2, 2026, and Monday, July 6, 2026. They are in addition to, rather than a replacement for, Idaho’s state-observed Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 3.
The signed order changes the state-government operating calendar for the eligible executive-branch workforce on those two dates. The governor’s announcement identifies the affected group as eligible Idaho executive-branch employees.
A signed executive order, not a pending proposal
Little’s action is a signed executive order issued by the governor, rather than a proposal identified as awaiting a legislative vote, committee action or other approval. Executive Order 2026-06 is the formal state action announced June 22.
The order provides paid leave on two specified days. July 2 is the day before the state-observed July 3 holiday, and July 6 follows the July 4 weekend. The July 3 holiday remains a separate state-observed Independence Day holiday under the announcement.
For covered workers, the practical calendar change is therefore limited to the two added paid-leave dates established by the order. The announcement does not characterize July 3 as one of the newly added days.
Who is covered
The policy applies to eligible employees in Idaho’s executive branch. It is not described as a general statewide paid-holiday requirement for workers outside that branch of state government.
That distinction limits what the order establishes. The announcement supports paid leave for eligible executive-branch employees, but it does not establish a private-sector holiday entitlement. It also does not say that schools, local governments or private employers must close or provide leave on July 2 or July 6.
The governor’s announcement does not provide a total number of employees covered. It also does not identify exceptions beyond the order’s eligibility language. As a result, the available information does not establish how many workers will receive the leave or detail which positions may fall outside the eligible group.
Dates tied to America250
The governor’s office connected the order to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, referred to in the announcement as America250. The order places the two additional leave days around the state’s observance of Independence Day in 2026.
The dates should be read separately: Thursday, July 2, and Monday, July 6, are the additional paid-leave days for eligible executive-branch employees. Friday, July 3, is Idaho’s already state-observed Independence Day holiday. Together, the dates frame the state’s holiday schedule around the July 4 weekend, but the executive order adds only two days.
No vote total is associated with the announcement because the action was taken through an executive order. The source also does not identify a funding amount, a cost estimate, or a further implementation deadline beyond the scheduled leave dates.
The next known dates under Executive Order 2026-06 are July 2 and July 6, 2026, when eligible employees are to receive paid leave. The order’s confirmed effect is a two-day addition to the covered executive-branch workforce’s calendar, alongside the July 3 state-observed holiday.
Sources
- Gov. Little grants additional leave for state employees to celebrate America250, Office of the Governor of Idaho