Safe staffing for hospitals bill makes its way through Legislature. Does it go far enough?
A proposed Senate bill to address safe staffing in hospitals is making its way through the Washington Legislature and has now advanced to the House, where a public hearing was held Wednesday in the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee.
The proposed legislation passed the Senate March 6 with a 35-15 vote, with all no votes coming from Republicans.
Attempts to pass similar legislation last year were unsuccessful, as groups such as the Washington State Hospital Association argued that safe-staffing standards set in that version of the proposed legislation were too “rigid.” That legislation would have set safe-staffing standards into state statute.
This year, the proposal is a bit different, with a requirement that staffing committees be established in hospitals by Jan. 1, 2024. Those staffing committees must be made up of 50% non-managerial nursing staff, while the other 50% of the committee must be made up of hospital administration including the hospital’s Chief Financial Officer.
The staffing committee would be responsible for creating then submitting safe-staffing plans to the Washington Department of Health by 2025.
The legislation also would require more oversight from the Department of Labor & Industries and the DOH, who could issue corrective measures or penalties starting in 2027 if hospitals are less than 80% compliant with the safe staffing plans laid out by staffing committees.
Senate Bill 5236 is sponsored by Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, as well as several other Democrats, and would make multiple changes to staffing requirements.
Robinson told House committee members Wednesday that she is proud of the legislation, and that stakeholders from both sides worked hard to develop a proposal. The Senator jokingly asked committee members not to “change a word” in the version of the bill that has advanced.
In a press statement after the legislation passed the Senate, Robinson said she believed the enforcement mechanism will ensure that “safe-staffing standards are followed rather than ignored.”
While the bill was overwhelmingly supported during the public hearing, some argued that the legislation doesn’t go far enough.
“I’ve advocated for months for this legislation because I’ve been at the bedside as conditions have deteriorated over the past few years, watching patients suffer needlessly and then die avoidable deaths due to the unsafe staffing conditions which hospitals refuse to address and seek to normalize,” said Sara Gering, a critical care nurse in Washington. “Unfortunately SB 5236 has been stripped of most language related to studying statewide minimum safety staffing standards.”
Nonetheless, Gering said, the bill remains a “critical” piece of legislation.
Other health care professionals testified that while they support the legislation, safe-staffing standards have gotten worse since proposals were first introduced last year.
Kelli Johnson, a nurse in Washington, said that the bill proposed this year initially started with “strong language” to establish standards, but that nurses need stronger protections passed this year.
“Having this bill that kinda sorta does that is better than having no bill,” Johnson said. “Nurses’ voices have been louder than ever before, but still not louder than those with way more money to play this game than we do.”
At the outset of the legislative session this year, lawmakers from both parties agreed that addressing workplace shortages in a multitude of industries was a critical priority. Some lawmakers have noted that addressing safe-staffing in hospitals would help address those shortages in the healthcare field.
According to the Washington State Nurses Association, safe staffing is one of their top priorities this session.
“We know, and research confirms, that inadequate nurse staffing leads to medical errors, poorer patient outcomes, nurse burnout and injuries to nurses,” the WSNA said.
In a press statement released by the Washington State Hospital Association, the agency said they are pleased with the compromise reached this year in the Senate bill.
“We are pleased to be able to reach an agreement that recognizes the importance of the voice of staff at the local level, who are best positioned to develop staffing plans that appropriately match the needs of patients with the experience of staff,” they said.
WSHA testified in support of the legislation Wednesday. No one testified against the bill.
Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, told Capitol reporters Wednesday that House members already have been engaged with Senators who worked on negotiations for the proposal. She said she doesn’t anticipate any amendments to the current version of the bill before it goes to the House floor for a debate.
If passed by the House, the bill would need a signature from Gov. Jay Inslee for the bill to become law.
The last day of the legislative session is April 23.
