Nurses will stage a rally Tuesday outside the state Capitol in an effort to get lawmakers to pass the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act.
The bipartisan measure would require acute-care facilities and nursing homes to implement certain direct-care, nurse-to-patient ratios in all nursing units, and set minimum staffing requirements.
The law also would require acute-care facilities to maintain staffing records during all shifts and give nurses the right to refuse work assignments if the assignment exceeds the nurse's abilities, or if minimum staffing is not present.
Every facility also would have to submit a documented staffing plan on an annual basis.
The state doesn't have a law that limits how many patients one nurse can care for at one time.
