2025-2026 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
PROTECTING PATIENT SAFETY
An Act Promoting Patient Safety and Equitable Access to Care (SD118/HD1535*)
Sponsors: Sen. Lydia Edwards/Rep. Natalie Higgins
Massachusetts nurses are caring for too many patients at one time. This leads to poor patient care, adverse patient outcomes and exploited nurses leaving the bedside. Unsafe staffing is the number one concern of nurses across the Commonwealth and around the globe. Research supports this concern and limiting the number of patients assigned to a nurse has positive effects on patient outcomes, financial performance and nurse retention. This bill would require the Department of Public Health to set limits on the number of patients a nurse can care for at one time. Limits would be set by hospital unit. A series of public hearings would be held to provide an opportunity for stakeholder input.
An Act Clarifying Mandatory Overtime Protections (SD1966/HD2953)
Sponsors: Sen. Nick Collins/Rep. Carol Doherty
In 2012, the Legislature passed a law prohibiting mandatory overtime for nurses in Massachusetts hospitals. However, some hospitals have been exploiting a loophole in the law and forcing nurses to work mandatory overtime. This is not safe for patients. This bill would clarify the prohibition on mandatory overtime in hospitals to ensure all hospitals are following the 2012 law.
An Act to Ensure Safe Medication Administration (SD1683/HD1840)
Sponsors: Sen. Jamie Elderidge/Rep. Daniel Donahue)
In an effort to cut costs, the state of Massachusetts, and other private sector healthcare providers have implemented programs that allow unlicensed, inadequately trained staff to administrator a variety of medications that should only be administered by registered nurses. State regulations currently prohibit the practice in all but long-term care facilities. However, that could be changed at any time if the regulations are revised. This bill would prohibit the dangerous practice of unlicensed personnel distributing medication in any more healthcare settings.
WORKPLACE SAFETY
An Act Requiring Health Care Employers to Develop and Implement Programs to Prevent Workplace Violence (SD1639/HD3502)
Sponsors: Sen Joan Lovely/Rep. John Lawn
Violence against nurses is at epidemic levels. Violence against nurses is at epidemic levels.Violence against healthcare workers accounts for nearly as many injuries as in all other industries combined- and the problem is only getting worse. This is both dangerous and costly. This bill would require healthcare employers to perform an annual safety risk assessment and, based on those findings, develop and implement programs to minimize the danger of workplace violence to employees and patients. It would also provide time off for healthcare workers assaulted on the job to address legal issues and require semi-annual reporting of assaults on healthcare employees. This legislation has garnered strong, bipartisan support from all corners of the state.
An Act Relative to Safe Patient Handling and Mobility in Certain Health Facilities (SD2294/HD2274)
Sponsors: Sen. Paul Feeney/Rep. Marjorie Decker
Nurses and other healthcare workers suffer more musculoskeletal injuries than any other profession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These injuries can be career-ending for the employee and costly to the healthcare system. This bill would require healthcare facilities to adopt and implement a safe patient handling and mobility program to identify, assess, and develop strategies to control the risk of injury to patients and healthcare workers associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a patient or equipment.
An Act Providing Safeguards for Home Healthcare Workers (SD1307/HD2124)
Sponsors: Sen. John Velis/Rep. Bruce Ayers
As the amount of care delivered in the home increases, so has the level of violence in this setting. In 2021, as many as 44% of home healthcare workers have reported being physically assaulted. Workplace violence is not just contained within the four walls of a healthcare facility. We must provide protections wherever healthcare is delivered. This bill would require safety assessments of all home healthcare settings prior to services being provided. These assessments would include the current psychiatric/psychological/emotional status of patients and any other individuals who may be present; any violent history related to the delivery of healthcare regarding patients or other individuals who may be present as well as the surrounding environment and the presence of any weapons. Home healthcare providers would be empowered to leave dangerous situations without loss of pay or disciplinary action and would be provided time off for healthcare workers assaulted on the job to address legal issues.
An Act Protecting Patients and Healthcare Workers from Exposure to Surgical Smoke (SD673/HD1732)
Sponsors: Sen. Jo Comerford/Rep. Jim Hawkins
Surgical Smoke generated from the cauterization or dissection of tissue during surgical procedures contains carcinogenic and mutagenic cells and can include 150 hazardous chemicals, 16 of which are on the EPA Priority Pollutant List. The smoke condensate from one gram of tissue is the equivalent of up to six unfiltered cigarettes and even N-95 masks do not filter out all particulates present in surgical smoke. To date, 13 other states have passed laws addressing surgical smoke. This bill would require hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers (MSCs) to adopt and implement to ensure the elimination of surgical smoke by use of a smoke-evacuation system for each procedure that generates surgical smoke.
An Act Relative to Creating Intensive Stabilization and Treatment Units within the Department of Mental Health (SD319/HD2954)
Sponsors: Sen. Dylan Fernandes/Rep. Carol Doherty
Highly assaultive patients are currently being treated in units that are not appropriately staffed or configured to address their specific needs. This bill would create two Intensive Stabilization and Treatment units within the Department of Mental Health- one for males and one for females. Under this bill, patients exhibiting extreme aggression, highly assaultive behavior and/or self-destructive behavior would be admitted to a specialized unit. These units would be highly physically separate, secure, structured environments with specially trained staff, in order to protect all patients and staff.
An Act Providing Appropriate Care for Certain Populations (SD1709/HD3206)
Sponsors: Sen. Robyn Kennedy/Rep. David Robertson
Within the state mental health hospital system, it is necessary to admit certain patient populations to designated units to address their needs and the safety of other patients and staff.
This bill would require that certain patient populations admitted to state hospitals to be first placed in a designated forensic unit. Such unit would provide the appropriate care and environment for this patient population until such time as any redeterminations could be made.
PROTECTING HEALTHCARE ACCESS
An Act Relative to the Closing of Hospital Essential Services (SD318/HD1658)
Sponsors: Sen. Julian Cyr/Rep. Michael Kushmerek & Rep. Christine Barber
Communities across the Commonwealth have been adversely affected by the closing of essential health services. These closures have ranged from the elimination of maternity services to the closure of behavioral health units, to the shuttering of hospitals. Each of these closures creates a situation where heath care is increasingly difficult to access for patients, leading to long-term devastating effects at both the individual and community levels. This bill would extend the official notice period to the Department of Public Health (DPH) in advance of a closure or discontinuation of health services and require any hospital proposing closure or discontinuation of health services to provide evidence of having notified and provided the opportunity for comment from affected municipalities before the notification period begins. The bill would also instruct the Attorney General to seek an injunction to maintain the essential services for the duration of the notice period and require the Attorney General to sign on any closure or discontinuation of services deemed “essential” by the DPH. Additionally, it would prohibit the hospital from eligibility for an application for licensure or expansion for a period of three years from the date the service is discontinued, or until the essential health service is restored, or until such time as DPH is satisfied with a modified plan. This session we also added language that would prohibit the closure of an essential health service during a public health emergency.
An Act Assessing Healthcare Access (SD1058/HD2593)
Sponsors: Sen. Jacob Oliviera/Rep. Ted Philips
Our current healthcare system does not match the healthcare needs of our current population. In order to address this mismatch, we need to determine what we need and where. This bill calls for a study to examine the current state of our healthcare system and access to essential health services. It would examine existing capacity, projected need and the effect of closures and service discontinuation over the past thirty years.
An Act Preserving Access to Hospital Services (SD2037/HD591)
Sponsors: Sen. Paul Mark/Rep. Margaret Scarsdale
There is currently no mechanism to keep a hospital open even if the Department of Public Health (DPH) deems it necessary to the community. This became particularly clear during the Steward crisis when eight hospitals were threatened with closure and the state said it was powerless to keep them open. Two of these hospitals were closed and we have no process in place for when this happens again. This bill would require the Department of Public Health to establish a process for state receivership of a hospital or free-standing clinic that is pending closure.
OTHER
An Act Relative to Credible Service for School Nurses (SD63/HD1468)
Sponsors: Sen. Michael Brady/Rep. Kathleen LaNatra
Over the course of a career, a school nurse may work in another setting in his or her capacity as a nurse. This bill would permit school nurses to buy back up to three years of time spent working in the private sector as a nurse. The nurse must pay into the pension system what s/he would have paid for those three years, or fraction thereof, plus interest. Any time thus purchased would be counted toward the nurse’s number of years of service when calculating their pension.
*All legislation includes a temporary docket number (SD or HD). Bill numbers will be assigned once legislation is assigned to Committee.
