H.B. 807 Summary

• Prohibits hospitals from assigning unlicensed assistive personnel to perform nursing care tasks that fall under registered nurses' scope of practice, including medication administration, venipuncture, invasive procedures, patient assessment, and patient education.

• Requires registered nurses to receive orientation and demonstrate individual competency before being assigned to any nursing unit or critical care area.

• Requires the Department of Health to adopt rules establishing minimum registered nurse-to-patient ratios by hospital unit, considering patient severity, equipment needs, clinical complexity, and specialized requirements for emergency departments and psychiatric units.

• Allows flexibility for rural health centers to request waivers from staffing requirements provided patient safety is not jeopardized.

• Requires the Department of Health to submit a report to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2026 regular session convening on compliance efforts and any proposed rule changes.