Bill > SF2775

This bill establishes comprehensive requirements for hospital nurse staffing, known as the Quality Patient Care Act, designed to ensure safe and effective patient care through specific nurse-to-patient assignment limits. The bill mandates that hospitals develop detailed staffing plans that limit the number of patients a registered nurse can be assigned based on the unit's specific care needs, ranging from one nurse for one critically ill patient to one nurse for five patients in skilled nursing units. Hospitals must establish a Safe Patient Assignment Committee predominantly composed of direct-care nurses to assess staffing needs, identify potential safety risks, and recommend solutions. The bill prohibits hospitals from using mandatory overtime, improperly transferring nurses between units, or retaliating against nurses who refuse unsafe patient assignments. Hospitals must comply with these requirements by August 1, 2027 (or 2029 for rural hospitals), and face substantial civil penalties of at least $25,000 for each violation. The legislation also restricts the use of technology as a substitute for direct nursing care and requires hospitals to publicly report their staffing levels and compliance. Additionally, the bill protects nurses who report unsafe staffing conditions from disciplinary actions and ensures that nursing administrators are not counted in patient-to-nurse ratio calculations.

Government Affairs, Labor and Employment

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2775&ssn=0&y=2025