JOINT RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY SAFE STAFFING RATIOS IN HOSPITALS (Creates a 15-member joint commission to study and provide recommendations regarding safe staffing ratios in hospitals, and who would report back to the General Assembly by September 1, 2027, and expire on January 30, 2028.)

Plain-English Summary

This resolution would create a special 15-member commission in Rhode Island to study the question of safe staffing ratios in hospitals — meaning, how many patients each nurse or healthcare worker should be responsible for at one time. The commission would be made up of legislators and other relevant stakeholders who would research the issue, gather information, and develop recommendations about what appropriate staffing levels should look like in Rhode Island hospitals.

The commission would have until September 1, 2027 to deliver its findings and recommendations to the Rhode Island General Assembly, and it would officially dissolve on January 30, 2028. Importantly, this resolution does not set any staffing rules itself — it simply creates a group to study the issue and report back to lawmakers, who could then decide whether to take further action based on those findings.

This bill would primarily affect hospital patients, nurses, and other healthcare workers across Rhode Island. Supporters of such studies generally argue that adequate staffing levels are critical to patient safety and worker well-being, while hospitals often raise concerns about the cost and flexibility of mandated ratios. This commission would be a fact-finding step to better understand those trade-offs before any policy decisions are made.

As of early 2026, the bill has been introduced and referred to the House Health & Human Services Committee, where it was postponed at the sponsor's request before being scheduled for further consideration in April 2026.