Soon, I plan to introduce legislation to ensure that those acting as landlords for hospitals and other health care entities are required to uphold basic obligations to maintain the safety and operability of these premises, just as residential landlords are required to do for tenants.
 
In recent years, we’ve seen private equity firms acquire financially distressed hospitals, only to sell the property through leaseback deals to third-party landlords. The proceeds of these deals are typically used for short-term capital infusions to private investors, rather than critical improvements in hospital infrastructure. This leaves hospitals saddled with high rent and deteriorating facilities, jeopardizing not just patient safety, but licensure compliance, with absentee landlords doing nothing more than collecting rent.
 
At common law, landlords owe residential tenants a duty to fix leaking roofs, keep the lights on, and repair broken boilers. This bill would extend that same principle to the healthcare context, requiring hospital landlords to maintain core building systems and infrastructure in a safe and functional condition, without imposing any obligation to operate the medical facility itself.
 
Hospitals are not just buildings or cash cows. They are lifelines for the communities they serve. We must ensure that those who profit from hospital properties also share responsibility for maintaining them.
 
I invite you to join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation.