SB 1067, also known as File No. 465, is a bill that makes changes to hospital overtime policies for nursing staff and requires hospitals to develop and implement nurse staffing plans. The bill prohibits hospitals from requiring nurses to work overtime, with limited exceptions for public health emergencies and critical care units. It also requires hospitals to make a good faith effort to cover overtime hours voluntarily before mandating nurses to work them. The bill allows mandatory overtime for nurses covered by collective bargaining agreements if the agreements allow it. Additionally, the bill requires hospitals to report their nurse staffing plans to the Department of Public Health and includes specific ratios of patients to RNs and assistive personnel per patient care unit. The bill also allows RNs to object to or refuse to participate in any activity that violates the bill's requirements and prohibits hospitals from taking adverse action against RNs for doing so. Lastly, the bill requires hospitals to maintain accurate patient to staff ratio records and make them available to relevant parties upon request. The effective date of the bill is October 1, 2023.

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