Facility-Wide Staffing Committee with Creation of Unit Specific Plans
- Florida HB 305 / SB 454
Includes minimum nurse to patient ratios, addresses mandatory overtime & prohibits assigning non nurses nursing tasks
- Florida SB 1118
Requires a Council approach in collaboration with the Chief Nursing Officer; includes a provision to make the staffing plan available to the public upon request.
- Illinois HB 282 /SB 1296
- Iowa HB 272
In hospitals and licensed nursing facilities, each collaborative nurse council (comprised of RNs, LPNs and APRNs) will determine the ratios.
Disclosure/Public Reporting
- Hawaii HB 1214 / SB 1420
Acute care and critical access hospitals must establish nurse staffing committees and provide the Department of Health with a documented nurse staffing plan in order to retain their certificates of need.
- Illinois SB 1342
A copy of the written staffing plan for nursing care services shall be provided to any member of the general public upon request.
- Massachusetts HB 1505 / SB 543
Creates a nursing report card for all licensed healthcare facilities, submitted annually to the facility’s licensing body, providing data regarding patient outcomes and nurse staffing.
Set Ratios
- Indiana HB 1412
Establishes nursing to resident ratios in long term healthcare facilities by shift. Reflects all direct care staff; one distinction – one RN for every 40 residents.
- Kentucky SB 91
Establishes minimum ratios in long term care facilities.
- Maryland SB 934
Sets staffing standards based on care hours per resident day in the long term care setting, includes provisions for securing a waiver.
- New Jersey AB 660 / SB 963
Includes hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities.
- New York AB 921
Includes hospitals and nursing homes.
- New York SB 1134
Requires reporting of staffing levels and addresses mandatory overtime.
- Vermont HB 324 / SB 83
Specific to renal dialysis centers, requires one direct care nurse and 3 technicians for every nine patients.
- West Virginia HB 3005 / HB 3010
Sets the minimum number of direct care RNs by unit and includes provision for charge nurses as well as addresses use of a patient acuity based system.
- West Virginia HB 2142
Sets a minimum of licensed nurses to residents in the nursing home setting.
Other Approaches
- California SB 554
Tightens existing staffing law by requiring inspections for compliance with the required nurse to patient ratios, the imposition of penalties and plan for correction.
- Massachusetts SB 539
Establishes a nurse advisory board within the department of health and human services, providing counsel on staffing and a number of other issues: safe patient handling and nurse education funding.
- Massachusetts HB 1967 / SB 279
Requires safe staffing levels be established for skilled nursing facilities, includes nurses and certified nursing assistants.
- Missouri SB 429
The department of health and senior services will issue recommendations for adequate staffing levels for facilities they license, then issued through rules.
- Pennsylvania SB 438
Staffing, refusal of assignments-whistleblower protections.