Holidays

Background

Eligible state agency employees are entitled to a paid day off from work on national, state and optional holidays observed by the state.

State agencies are authorized to be closed on all national holidays and certain state holidays — the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.

Agencies must remain open on the remaining state holidays, with enough staff on hand to manage their day-to-day public business.

Federal and State Holidays

A schedule of federal and state holidays for the current fiscal year is available on the state auditor’s website.

Holidays That Fall on Saturday or Sunday

These holidays:

• Are not observed on another day (for example, by closing state offices on the workday preceding or following the holiday).
• Are not observed for that year.

Special Provisions for Certain Law Enforcement Personnel

The following employees who are required to work on a national or state holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday are entitled to compensatory time off at the rate of one hour for each hour worked on the holiday:

• A state employee who is a commissioned peace officer.
• An employee of the Department of Public Safety who performs either communications or dispatch services related to traffic law enforcement or is a public security officer.
• An employee of the Parks and Wildlife Department who performs communications and dispatch services to assist law enforcement officers commissioned by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in performing law enforcement duties.
• An employee of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department who:
  • Is employed to perform communication service duties for the incident reporting center and to assist law enforcement officers appointed by the Office of Inspector General of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) in performing investigative duties.
    – or –
  • Who is employed as a security officer providing security and entry searches for secure correctional facilities operated by TJJD.
• An employee of the Department of Family and Protective Services in the Statewide Intake Division who receives reports of abuse or neglect.

Multiple Holidays on the Same Day

In rare circumstances, more than one holiday may fall on the same day. In such cases, only one holiday is observed, as indicated below:

Source

Texas Government Code, Chapter 662, Subchapter A.