Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2009
Latest action · May 7, 2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 6, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement staffing plans that meet specified ratios for direct care registered nurse-to-patient staffing levels for each unit and other requirements, including for receiving input from nurses. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to further limit such ratios as needed to ensure public safety and to establish ratios for units not specified. Provides an exception to such staffing requirements for a declared state of emergency. Requires hospitals to provide the Secretary with their staffing plan and annual updates. Requires the Secretary to conduct audits to ensure the implementation of adequate staffing plans.
Requires the Secretary: (1) acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to complete a study of licensed practical nurse staffing and its effects on patient care in hospitals; and (2) to establish requirements for hospitals based on the outcome of the study.
Requires the Secretary to adjust payments to cover additional Medicare costs that are attributable to this Act. Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to submit to Congress and the Secretary a report estimating total costs and savings attributable to compliance with nurse staffing requirements.
Provides nurses with the right to refuse to accept assignments that would violate staffing requirements or for which they are not prepared. Prohibits retaliation by hospitals for such refusals or for reporting violations of staffing requirements.
Cosponsors 23
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 6, 2009 to Jul 1, 2010; 11 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| R-AK | Don Young | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-TX | Eddie Bernice Johnson | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-CA | Fortney Pete Stark | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-HI | Neil Abercrombie | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| D-PA | Tim Holden | May 13, 2009 | |
| D-NY | Gregory W. Meeks | May 21, 2009 | |
| D-PA | Joe Sestak | Jun 11, 2009 | |
| D-CA | Jane Harman | Oct 27, 2009 | |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Mar 4, 2010 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Mar 10, 2010 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | May 19, 2010 | |
| D-KS | Dennis Moore | May 19, 2010 | |
| D-CA | Lynn C. Woolsey | May 19, 2010 | |
| D-FL | Kendrick B. Meek | May 20, 2010 | |
| D-MN | Collin C. Peterson | Jun 23, 2010 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Jul 1, 2010 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred May 6, 2009 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred May 7, 2009 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred May 6, 2009 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 7, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- May 6, 2009Introduced in House
- May 6, 2009Referred to House Energy and Commerce
- May 6, 2009Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- May 6, 2009Referred to House Ways and Means
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1031 | National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act | Related bill | May 13, 2009 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish direct care registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratio requirements in hospitals, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 6, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
