Prairie Public Broadcasting

Lawmakers question unused vacation payment BISMARCK, ND (NDPR) - When North Dakota Lottery director Chuck Keller left state government, he was paid for more than 12-hundred hours of unused vacation pay, accumulated since 2003.

He received a check for more than $44.000. And members of the Legislature's Budget Section had some questions.

Normally, a state employee can carry over 240-hours of vacation time from year to year.

"When Chuck Keller was hired as the lottery director, he put in literally thousands and thousands of hours of overtime," said Kathy Roll with the Attorney General's office. "With the tight implementation date of the lottery, he did not take annual leave for several years."

Rep. Bob Skarpol (R-Tioga) asked the state's office of management and budget that lawmakers be told when something like this occurs.

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