Bill > SB411

This bill, the Safe Staffing Act of 2026, requires certain hospitals in Maryland to establish and maintain clinical staffing committees and implement clinical staffing plans to ensure adequate patient care. These committees, composed of a specific number of managers and employees depending on the hospital's bed count, will be responsible for finalizing a clinical staffing plan, which is a document outlining staffing levels and needs. The chief nursing executive of each hospital must first create a draft of this plan and submit it to the committee. The bill also mandates that hospitals comply with staffing standards set by their accrediting bodies and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a government agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. By July 1, 2028, all hospitals must have implemented their finalized clinical staffing plans, which will consider factors like existing staffing levels, patient acuity, and evidence-based staffing standards, to address any identified gaps and ensure appropriate skill mix and competency of staff.