JOINT RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY SAFE STAFFING RATIOS IN HOSPITALS (Creates a 15 member commission to study and provide recommendations for safe staffing ratios in hospitals, who would report back to the General Assembly by March 31, 2027, and would expire on June 30, 2027.)

Plain-English Summary

This bill would have created a special 15-member commission in Rhode Island to study the question of safe staffing ratios in hospitals — meaning how many patients a nurse or other hospital staff member should be responsible for at one time. The commission would have researched the issue and developed recommendations to present to the Rhode Island General Assembly by March 31, 2027, after which it would have disbanded on June 30, 2027.

The commission's work would have affected a wide range of people, including hospital patients, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers across Rhode Island. Staffing ratios are an important issue because too few staff members per patient can impact the quality and safety of care that patients receive, while also affecting the workload and working conditions of hospital employees.

It is worth noting that this bill was withdrawn by its sponsor before it could advance through the legislative process, meaning it will not move forward at this time. It had been introduced and referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee before being pulled. As a result, no commission will be formed under this proposal, and no study will be conducted based on this particular legislation.