NY A07095

Establishes mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient ratios across hospital units, including 1:1 for operating rooms and trauma, 1:2 for critical care and labor/delivery, 1:3 for emergency rooms, and 1:6 for adult medical-surgical units

Requires healthcare facilities to submit annual staffing plans to the Department of Health that include approved patient acuity systems, daily staffing documentation methods, and must be developed in consultation with direct-care nursing staff or their union representatives

Prohibits mandatory overtime for healthcare employees, limiting shifts to 12 hours per 24-hour period and 80 hours per 14-day period, except during governor-declared emergencies; caps maximum work hours at 16 per 24-hour period

Mandates that registered nurses constitute at least 50% of direct-care nursing staff and prohibits assigning licensed nursing functions to unlicensed personnel

Establishes employee protections allowing nurses to refuse unsafe assignments and prohibiting retaliation against workers who report violations, with enforcement through private lawsuits and Department of Health oversight