“At the start of the New Year, County employees opened their hearts to the victims of a disaster half a world away. In a little less than nine months, we are seeing on our own soil a catastrophe just as great,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips. “Once again, we’re giving the people who work for King County—some of the most dedicated and generous people around—the opportunity to help people in need. Converting donated vacation time to dollars will help rebuild lives throughout the hurricane zone.”

The legislation will allow employees to convert up to 40 hours of accrued vacation time into a cash donation that would then be donated to the American Red Cross relief efforts. Employees will have 45 days to convert the hours to cash.