Vetoed by Governor Joseph Lombardo

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires hospitals to create staffing committees for technical and service staff, follow staffing rules, keep and report records, and protect workers from retaliation for reporting violations in Nevada.

Highlights:

• Requires hospitals to create staffing committees for technical and service staff, follow staffing rules, keep and report records, and protect workers from retaliation for reporting violations in Nevada (Sec. ).

• Require each hospital that is required to establish a staffing committee for nurses to additionally establish a technical staffing committee and a service staffing committee, respectively, to represent the technical and service workers of the hospital (Sec. 5-6).

• Require the technical staffing committee, the service staffing committee and the nursing staffing committee to collaborate to develop the documented staffing plan for the hospital (Sec. 5, 6, & 18).

• Requires a documented staffing plan to contain certain provisions relating to the adequate staffing of technical and service workers (Sec. 19).

• Requires a hospital that has established a technical staffing committee and a service staffing committee to include the members of those committees on the hospital’s committee on workplace safety, which performs certain duties relating to the prevention of workplace violence at the hospital (Sec. 23).

• Requires that the report additionally include such information for the technical staffing committee and the service staffing committee (Sec. 7 & 18).

• Establishes the maximum ratios for the number of patients that may be assigned to a direct care nurse at one time in certain hospitals in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties) (Sec. 8).

• Establishes certain other staffing requirements for certain hospitals in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties), including maximum ratios for the number of patients that may be assigned to a certified nursing assistant, in any unit, at one time (Sec. 8).

• Requires the documented staffing plan of a hospital to provide for staffing in accordance with the maximum ratios of patients to direct care nurses established by section 8 (Sec. 19).

• Requires such a documented staffing plan to provide for additional compensation for nurses who perform certain duties (Sec. 19).

• Requires a hospital to maintain certain records containing information relevant for measuring the compliance of the hospital with the nurse-to-patient ratios established by section 8 (Sec. 9).

• Authorizes hospitals that are required to establish a nursing staffing committee and adhere to the maximum ratios prescribed in section to deviate from those maximum ratios and the documented staffing plan of the hospital during a state of emergency (Sec. 9.5)..

• Establishes certain procedures that must be followed by the hospital and the nursing staffing committee upon such a deviation (Sec. 9.5).

• Authorizes the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services to discipline a health care facility that fails to comply with the requirements of this bill in the same manner as violations of other requirements governing health care facilities (Sec. 12-13).

• Requires the Division to establish (Sec. 22):

• Procedures for random visits to health care facilities to ensure compliance with the requirements of this bill, where applicable, and certain other requirements governing the staffing of health care facilities;

• An accessible and confidential system that allows certain staff of a health care facility to report a violation of those requirements; and

• Procedures for investigating and resolving such a report.

• Authorizes the Labor Commissioner to take certain actions to ensure that a health care facility complies with the requirements of this bill, where applicable, and certain other requirements relating to the staffing of health care facilities (Sec. 10).

• Prohibits a health care facility from retaliating against an employee of the facility for reporting a violation to the Division or the Labor Commissioner (Sec. 15).

• Requires the Division to assign a new rating to a facility after an inspection or investigation conducted under section 22 (Sec. 21).

• Defines certain terms relating to the staffing of health care facilities (Sec. 2-4).

• Establishes the applicability of those definitions (Sec. 17).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires hospitals to create staffing committees for technical and service staff, follow staffing rules, keep and report records, and protect workers from retaliation for reporting violations in Nevada.

Highlights:

• Requires hospitals to create staffing committees for technical and service staff, follow staffing rules, keep and report records, and protect workers from retaliation for reporting violations in Nevada (Sec. ).

• Require each hospital that is required to establish a staffing committee for nurses to additionally establish a technical staffing committee and a service staffing committee, respectively, to represent the technical and service workers of the hospital (Sec. 5-6).

• Require the technical staffing committee, the service staffing committee and the nursing staffing committee to collaborate to develop the documented staffing plan for the hospital (Sec. 5, 6, & 18).

• Requires a documented staffing plan to contain certain provisions relating to the adequate staffing of technical and service workers (Sec. 19).

• Requires a hospital that has established a technical staffing committee and a service staffing committee to include the members of those committees on the hospital’s committee on workplace safety, which performs certain duties relating to the prevention of workplace violence at the hospital (Sec. 23).

• Requires that the report additionally include such information for the technical staffing committee and the service staffing committee (Sec. 7 & 18).

• Establishes the maximum ratios for the number of patients that may be assigned to a direct care nurse at one time in certain hospitals in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties) (Sec. 8).

• Establishes certain other staffing requirements for certain hospitals in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties), including maximum ratios for the number of patients that may be assigned to a certified nursing assistant, in any unit, at one time (Sec. 8).

• Requires the documented staffing plan of a hospital to provide for staffing in accordance with the maximum ratios of patients to direct care nurses established by section 8 (Sec. 19).

• Requires such a documented staffing plan to provide for additional compensation for nurses who perform certain duties (Sec. 19).

• Requires a hospital to maintain certain records containing information relevant for measuring the compliance of the hospital with the nurse-to-patient ratios established by section 8 (Sec. 9).

• Authorizes hospitals that are required to establish a nursing staffing committee and adhere to the maximum ratios prescribed in section to deviate from those maximum ratios and the documented staffing plan of the hospital during a state of emergency (Sec. 9.5)..

• Establishes certain procedures that must be followed by the hospital and the nursing staffing committee upon such a deviation (Sec. 9.5).

• Authorizes the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services to discipline a health care facility that fails to comply with the requirements of this bill in the same manner as violations of other requirements governing health care facilities (Sec. 12-13).

• Requires the Division to establish (Sec. 22):

• Procedures for random visits to health care facilities to ensure compliance with the requirements of this bill, where applicable, and certain other requirements governing the staffing of health care facilities;

• An accessible and confidential system that allows certain staff of a health care facility to report a violation of those requirements; and

• Procedures for investigating and resolving such a report.

• Authorizes the Labor Commissioner to take certain actions to ensure that a health care facility complies with the requirements of this bill, where applicable, and certain other requirements relating to the staffing of health care facilities (Sec. 10).

• Prohibits a health care facility from retaliating against an employee of the facility for reporting a violation to the Division or the Labor Commissioner (Sec. 15).

• Requires the Division to assign a new rating to a facility after an inspection or investigation conducted under section 22 (Sec. 21).

• Defines certain terms relating to the staffing of health care facilities (Sec. 2-4).

• Establishes the applicability of those definitions (Sec. 17).

Full Bill Text