CA AB2155

Prohibits state facilities (corrections, state hospitals, veteran affairs, developmental services) from requiring registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, or certified nursing assistants to work beyond their regularly scheduled shifts, effective January 1, 2016.

Protects nurses and CNAs from discrimination, dismissal, or adverse employment actions for refusing mandatory overtime, and specifies such refusal does not constitute patient abandonment or neglect.

Requires management to prioritize voluntary workers first, then part-time/intermittent employees, then on-call staff before using mandatory overtime.

Allows mandatory overtime only during surgical procedures where nurse presence is critical for patient safety, catastrophic events creating overwhelming patient volumes, or declared emergency situations.

Permits facilities to offer greater protections against mandatory overtime than those required by law and does not restrict hiring of part-time or intermittent staff.