Bill > HB3512

This bill amends the Hospital Licensing Act to comprehensively regulate hospital worker staffing, safety, and working conditions. The bill requires hospitals to employ and schedule sufficient workers to ensure quality patient care, with specific provisions covering various aspects of hospital operations. Key provisions include establishing maximum patient-to-worker ratios for different hospital units (such as limiting certified nursing assistants to 7 patients during day shifts and 11 during night shifts), creating a mandatory competency validation process for hospital workers, and implementing an "assignment despite objection" procedure that allows workers to formally report unsafe working conditions. The bill mandates that hospitals develop transparent staffing metrics, submit these to the Department of Public Health annually, and face potential financial penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, the legislation prohibits mandatory overtime for hospital workers, ensures meal and rest breaks, and creates a comprehensive complaint and investigation process that includes potential civil penalties ranging from warnings to $5,000 fines for repeated violations. The bill aims to improve patient safety, protect hospital workers, and increase transparency in hospital staffing practices by giving workers more agency in identifying and addressing potentially unsafe working conditions.

Budget and Finance

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3512&GAID=18&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=114&GA=104