Bill > SB283

This bill establishes minimum registered nurse (RN) staffing levels in hospitals across various patient care units, defining the maximum number of patients an RN can be assigned per shift, with specific ratios for units like emergency departments, intensive care units, labor and delivery, and medical-surgical units, and also mandates that hospitals create comprehensive RN staffing plans that include minimum staffing levels, skill mix requirements, and the number of supportive direct patient care personnel, which must be approved by a hospital staffing committee composed of at least 51% direct-care RNs and at least one supportive direct patient care personnel member, and requires hospitals to report their staffing plans and any deviations to the Department of Health, with penalties for non-compliance, and allows for temporary deviations from these standards only in unforeseen emergency situations or severe weather, with a transition period for hospitals to implement their initial staffing plans by January 1, 2027.

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Labor & Commerce (Senate)

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB283