HB 4629 Summary

• Hospitals must provide sufficient and qualified registered professional nursing staff at all times to ensure patient safety.

• Hospitals must develop and submit staffing plans to the department within 3 years (4 years for rural hospitals) establishing minimum direct care nurse-to-patient ratios ranging from 1:1 in intensive care to 1:6 in postpartum care depending on unit type.

• Hospitals must establish staffing committees for each unit with at least half of members being registered nurses who provide direct patient care; committee participation counts as part of scheduled workweek and nurses are protected from retaliation.

• Hospitals cannot average staffing across shifts, mandate overtime except in emergencies, or count nurses not assigned to direct patient care in ratio calculations; minimum ratios must be maintained during breaks and routine absences.

• Violations result in administrative fines of $10,000-$25,000 per violation or $25,000-$50,000 for pattern violations; hospitals must establish corrective action plans and violations are considered in licensure decisions.