Workplace equity, violence top American Nurses Association’s legislative priorities
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ORLANDO — Addressing mandatory overtime as well as workplace equity and violence, all amidst a nursing shortage, are among the top legislative priorities for the American Nurses Association, according to a speaker here.
“There were 13,000 bills introduced this session, and we saw about 500 bills specifically involving nursing, whether it is the passage of safe staffing, last month in Colorado, or workplace violence legislation in Arizona and Utah,” Jason Richie, MS, associate director of state policy for the American Nurses Association (ANA), told attendees at the 2022 Rheumatology Nurses Society Conference. “Hundreds of bills unfortunately failed, including those related to health disparities.”
Meanwhile, at the federal level, the ANA has been working to pass the Build Back Better Act.
“It’s legislation that would ultimately include $500 million for schools and nursing in underserved areas,” Richie said.
Additionally, the bill would include $500 million in support for the Nurse Corps, through scholarships and loan repayment assistance, as well as $170 million to aid the growth and diversity of the nursing workforce dedicated to maternal and perinatal health, he added.
The Build Back Better bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2021 but failed to pass the Senate earlier this year.
“As we have seen with health disparities, the pandemic has only continued to highlight the inequities,” Richie said. “We have all seen the impact, either from a clinical or environmental perspective.”
Health Enterprise Zones Act, or H.R. 4510 (2021), which called for expanded eligibility for qualifying grants, including student loan repayment and tax credits for individuals working to curb inequity and improve outcomes in designated areas, Richie said.
However, there has been more concrete action happening at the state level, according to Richie.
Regarding mandatory staffing, there are now 18 states that have legislation prohibiting mandatory overtime, he said.
“As part of our broader efforts, we are supporting a mandatory overtime bill in the U.S. Senate,” Richie said. “It’s a more targeted approach than some of ANA’s efforts in the past and concentrates solely on mandatory overtime in the nursing profession.”
Currently, every state that prohibits mandatory overtime allows for some exceptions, including situations in which there is a lack of proper replacement personnel or when help is necessary to complete a procedure. In every state with bans on mandatory overtime, emergencies are considered exceptions, Richie said.
Finally, Richie highlighted several pieces of workplace violence legislation. Currently, 38 states have penalties for violence against nurses, and workplace violence prevention programs are present in eight states. Recent action in this space includes Maryland enacting a “Peace Orders” bill, which removed the burden of reporting from nurses; Missouri, which approved penalties for disrupting health care and ambulance operations; and Tennessee, which amended the relevant charges from “assault” to “aggravated assault.”
“Workforce violence and a lack of enforcement penalties is a third area in which the ANA has been concentrating our advocacy efforts,” Richie said. “We’ve all seen that violence against nurses continues to be a concern wherever you practice, particularly in the COVID era.
“Localization is always a key driver at the state level, and I re-emphasize that state-level decisions will affect the health, safety, education and well-being of the community, including the representative and his or her staff,” Richie added. “Legislators are interested in hearing your voice and your story.”
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Richie J. The policy-passionate nurse: Active legislation on the state and federal level surrounding healthcare disparities. Presented at: Rheumatology Nurses Society annual conference; August 3-6, 2022 (virtual meeting).
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