In February, National Nurses United convinced a nine-member majority to introduce the bill, which will be subject of a D.C. Council committee hearing Friday. The bill, called The Safe Nurse Staffing for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act, establishes minimum ratios for registered nurses at every hospital in the district at all times. Hospitals that do not comply would face monetary penalties.
Washington Business Journal reporter Ben Fischer said Councilmember and Health Committee Chair Yvette Alexander “has near absolute control over the bill’s fate,” and she’s facing some substantial political pressure to “stuff the bill in her pocket and forget about it,” according to the report.
Although she was one of the councilmembers to introduce the bill, Ms. Alexander has come to change her position. She has reportedly said several times the bill may not proceed past Friday’s hearing, and she also cited concerns she’s heard from hospital administrators about the bill as a reason for her opposition, according to the report.
Mr. Fischer said it’s not accurate to say “some hybrid, half-a-loaf version of a nurse staffing bill won’t eventually pass,” as few councilmembers want to oppose bills about patient safety. “But if something does pass, it won’t include bright-line limits, won’t impose financial fines and would leave the hospital industry plenty of room to maneuver,” he wrote.
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