Senate Bill 1019 Summary

• Hospitals must develop and submit written staffing plans annually to the Department of Community Health within 1 year of the bill's effective date, establishing minimum registered nurse staffing levels for each unit based on patient acuity and care requirements.

• Hospitals must establish staffing committees for each unit with at least 50% registered nurses as direct care providers to develop staffing strategies; nurses cannot face retaliation for committee participation and this work counts as part of their regular schedule.

• Within 3 years, hospitals must implement minimum direct care registered nurse-to-patient ratios ranging from 1:1 (critical care, operating room, trauma) to 1:6 (postpartum/well-baby care), with specific ratios established for 11 unit types.

• Hospitals must establish an acuity assessment system within 2 years to measure patient needs and adjust staffing above minimum ratios as needed; staffing plans must be posted in each unit and provided to nursing staff with mandatory overtime prohibited except in unforeseen emergencies.

• Hospitals failing to submit staffing plans or meet required ratios face administrative fines up to $10,000 per violation (each day and each shift counted separately), with fines deposited into the Michigan nursing scholarship program fund.