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ACTION NEEDED
In the final days of session, hospitals have two key opportunities to weigh in on Senate Bill (SB) 596 (Menjivar, D-Van Nuys) — a bill that would restrict hospitals’ flexibility in their on-call staff lists:
- First, hospitals should use the templates below to write their own floor alerts for both the Senate and Assembly.
- Second, hospitals are encouraged to join a coalition floor alert.
Hospitals should send to Emily Schroeder, CHA legislative assistant, both their own floor alerts for submission and their logos for inclusion in the coalition floor alert.
TIMING
Because the Assembly and Senate could vote at any time during their floor sessions, it is critical that hospitals submit their letters and logos as soon as possible. Both houses must vote on the bill by the end of session on Sept. 12.
RESOURCES
BACKGROUND
SB 596 would impose new requirements on hospitals’ on-call nurse staffing list, disrupting current staffing processes and increasing costs for all hospitals (including public hospitals and the state of California). The bill would:
- Impose a one-size-fits-all definition of “on-call list” that doesn’t reflect how hospitals currently manage staffing, creating conflicts with existing collective bargaining agreements and scheduling systems
- Ignore challenges stemming from variations in nursing specialties, which make it difficult — if not impossible — to mandate uniform on-call lists
- Increase staffing expenses without considering what the hospital and its patients truly need