Senate Bill No. 1067, File No. 465, is a legislative proposal aimed at ensuring adequate and safe healthcare staffing in hospitals. The bill amends Section 19a-89e of the general statutes by defining "assistive personnel" as those working under the supervision of a registered nurse without a Department of Public Health license and "professional judgment" as the independent decision-making process regarding patient care by a knowledgeable and experienced nurse. It requires hospitals to report annually on a nurse staffing plan that includes the professional skill mix for each unit, employment practices for temporary and traveling nurses, administrative staffing levels, an internal review process, and a mechanism for input from direct care staff. From January 1, 2028, the bill mandates specific patient-to-nurse and patient-to-assistive personnel ratios for various hospital units and establishes a hospital staffing committee with at least half of its members being direct care registered nurses. Nurses selected for the committee must be chosen by a representative if they are part of a collective bargaining unit.

The bill also empowers registered nurses to refuse participation in activities they believe would compromise patient safety or violate the law, with protections against hospital retaliation. Hospitals are required to post nurse staffing plans visibly on each patient care unit and maintain records of patient-to-nurse ratios for each shift. The Commissioner of Public Health must report annually to the General Assembly on hospital compliance with these requirements. The bill defines "overtime" for nurses and prohibits mandatory overtime except in specific circumstances, protecting nurses from discrimination or retaliation for refusing overtime. The bill's provisions will take effect on October 1, 2023, and may result in significant costs to state agencies due to the need for additional nursing staff to comply with the staffing ratio requirements.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill:
PH Joint Favorable:
File No. 465: