MADISON, Wis. -- Dane County will be the first county in the state to offer its employees paid leave if they become an organ donor.

County employees who donate bone marrow would be eligible for five paid days off while employees who give an organ could receive a 30-day paid leave of absence, according to a plan outlined at a press conference on Wednesday.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk called this ordinance one of the most important things the county government has done.

"To be able to save someone's life, and if we're able to help make that possible, by relieving the employee of lost work time, that's something we can and should do," she said.

The Dane County Board of Supervisors will vote on this proposal Thursday night.