Legislative Action
Aug 23, 2008 3:32 PM
Our union is involved politically with the laws, policies, and actions of our employers, our city, state and our country. It is essential that we monitor and advocate for appropriate funding and laws that provide each person we care for with excellent healthcare. For that reason, we have a very effective and efficient political action team at each level of government. We are involved with our city council, the mayor and we have lobbyists at the state and federal levels. We are considered the most powerful union in the state and we are constantly engaged in advocating for our members and the patients we care for.
Victory for All Working Nurses
This year we had our statewide coalition healthcare lobby day in Albany, joined by other unions and chaired by our statewide leader, Anne Goldman, RN Federation of Nurses/UFT Director. This year’s efforts resulted in the passing of a new statewide law banning mandatory overtime by healthcare employers. Our lobbying efforts have been intensive and the resistance has been strong but we have prevailed despite the hospital association and managerial resistance.
Nurses will continue to have the option of volunteering to work overtime but the employers will no longer be permitted to use mandatory overtime as a staffing tool. The purpose of this bill is to require managers to do their job and cover known predictable absences and not ignore the need to seek coverage for these events in a timely manner. The Federation of Nurses/UFT has succeeded in this battle but we must continue to be vigilant on the work front each and every day. This bill allows employers to use mandatory overtime in a real emergency which as professionals we all realize must be covered and have never objected to.
We have a full venue of challenges on the state and national front including staffing issues, violence in the workplace protections, environmental issues, recruitment and retention issues as well as ongoing educational matters. Here is a summary of several bills we have supported.
Safe Nurse-Patient Ratios
A-6119 Gottfried Health Committee
S-1551 Hannon Health Committee
Establishes nurse staffing centers within the Department of Health and provides additional powers and duties for the Commissioner of Health to determine safe staffing levels of nursing personnel and other support staff in health care facilities. Authorizes such commissioner to establish an advisory committee to advise in the development, application and implementation of the safe staffing formula. The bill also requires health care facilities to implement the safe nursing staff formula and requires reporting and disclosure by health care facilities.
Requires the department of health to promulgate rules necessary to establish staffing standards for certain health care facilities. The bill also directs such facilities to file reports and post daily staffing levels to demonstrate compliance with such rules and provides that failure of a hospital to comply with the requirements of this section shall be deemed a violation and subjects such hospital to possible penalties and injunctions.
Nursing Care Quality Protection Act
S-1267 DeFrancisco Health Committee
A-5196 Gottfried On Calendar
The legislation would protect nursing practices and patients by preventing unlicensed personnel from using the title “nurse” in administering nursing services. The legislation also would require health care facilities – mostly hospitals and nursing homes – to disclose and report nurse-to-patient staff ratios, as well as the percentage of licensed and unlicensed personnel.
Nurses in Attendance
S-1536 Fuschillo Education Committee
A-1181 Gunther Education Committee
Requires a nurse to be on staff in each school building during the hours that medically fragile students are in attendance or when students are in major risk of injury.
S-5403 Morahan Education Committee
A-378 Cahill Education Committee
Relates to the employment of school nurses for the inspection of pupils attending certain public schools.
A-3224 Colton Education Committee
Requires a school nurse to be on the premises during school hours in any school having an enrollment of 100 pupils or more.
Nurse Recruitment & Retention
A-3001 Scozzafava Health Committee
S-1525 LaValle Health Committee
A-4158 Barra Higher Education Committee
Establishes the Empire State Professional Nursing Scholarship Program to provide financial support to applicants who agree to deliver nursing care in a specialty, setting or designated region of New York State having a shortage of nurses or to nursing students who enter or continue in a registered nurse educational program. The bill also establishes grants for nursing education to establish or expand training programs for nurses to increase the opportunities for nursing education at community based sites.
Provides for loan forgiveness for registered full-time nurses similar to the terms of the physicians loan forgiveness program.
S-4994-B Maziarz Rules Committee
A-8645-A John Ways and Means Committee
This legislation creates the “New York State Nursing Shortage correction Act” by making funds available for nursing educators. Funds provided for this program are used to create and expand the amount of nurses interested and eligible to attend nursing schools.
School Nurses to Honor Do Not Resuscitate Orders
S-4760 Hannon Health Committee
A-8164 Gottfried On Calendar
Requires professional registered nurses to comply with non-hospital orders not to resuscitate while providing services to public school students, unless the school has a policy against honoring such orders.
Empire State Professional Nursing Scholarship Program
A-6817 Pretlow Education Committee
Establishes the empire state professional nursing scholarship program to provide financial support to applicants to enter or continue in a registered nurse educational program and who agree to deliver nursing care in a specialty, setting or designated region of New York State having a shortage of nurses or to teach nursing students; establishes grants for nursing education to establish or expand training programs for nurses and to increase the opportunities for nursing education at community based sites.
Health Insurance Coverage for Standard Diagnostic Testing
S-3139 DeFrancisco Insurance Committee
A-4223 Pretlow Insurance Committee
Provides that every health insurance policy that provides coverage for hospital, surgical or medical care shall provide coverage for the standard diagnostic testing for ovarian cancer upon the recommendation of a physician. The bill also provides that such standard diagnostic testing shall include a pelvic examination, a sonogram and a CA 125 blood test and related laboratory and diagnostic services.
Senior Citizen Health Insurance – Third Party Designate
S-1409 Kruger Insurance Committee
S-1871 Stachowski Insurance Committee
A-1218-A Latimer Insurance Committee
S-2905 DeFrancisco Insurance Committee
Requires health insurance companies to allow their insured senior citizens to designate a third party for notification purposes. The designated third party would receive copies of any premium notices or notices of cancellation.
Fair Pricing for Prescription Drugs Act
S-316 Golden Finance Committee
S-323 Golden Aging Committee
A-3848 Gottfried Health Committee
Enacts the “Fair Pricing for Prescription Drugs Act” providing for the establishment and operation of the prescription drug fair pricing program. Also, makes an appropriation for the prescription drug fair pricing program.
Universal Health Care Coverage
S-3107 Schneiderman Finance Committee
A-7354 Gottfried Health Committee
This legislation would enact, the “New York State Health Plan” requiring the state to establish and implement a program to guarantee access to comprehensive, universal health insurance coverage for all New York residents. This legislation also would create a legislative commission on health coverage reform to consider and recommend options to ensure full access to health care coverage fro all New York residents lacking such coverage.
Prescription Drug Reform
S-2971-A Maziarz Health Committee
A-7468-A Gottfried On Calendar
Prohibits drug manufacturers from discriminating in the price at which it offers drugs for sale to various purchasers or wholesalers. This legislation would require manufacturers offer such drugs on the same terms that they offer to their most favored purchasers.
Tax Credit for Nurses
S-4646 Hannon Investigations and Government Operations Committee
A-4759 Barra Ways and Means Committee
Establishes a tax credit of $500 for full-time nurses, registered or practical, and for teaching nurses that have worked within the state for not less than six months during the taxable year.
Health Care Wage Equalization Rate
A-1223 Paulin Codes Committee
Provides for an immediate Medicaid reimbursement increase when counties or other localities impose “living wage” mandates.
Health Insurance Disclosure
S-646 Larkin Insurance Committee
A-2809 Cook Insurance Committee
Requires a complete copy of the original health insurance contract or to be provided to all parties affected by the contract.
Health Insurance Coverage for Ovarian Peritoneal Cancer Screening
S-3301 LaValle Insurance Committee
A-6102 DiNapoli Insurance Committee
Requires health insurance contracts and policies to include coverage for ovarian/primary peritoneal cancer screening.
End Pharmaceutical D-T-C Advertising
S-2971-A Maziarz Health Committee
A-3794 Grannis Health Committee
A-7468-A Gottfried Health Committee
Requires pharmaceutical drug manufacturers and wholesalers to annually disclose all gifts to certain health care practitioners.
Medically Fragile Students
S-1536 Fuschillo Education Committee
A-1181 Gunther Education Committee
Requires that a registered nurse be in each school when medically fragile students are in attendance or when students are at major risk of injury.
Report of Certain Staphylococcus Infections
S-4346-A Rath Health Committee
A-9270 Gunther Health Committee
Amends the public health law, in relation to hospital acquired infection policy, implementation and reporting of certain staphylococcus infections.
Nursing Shortage
S-4994 Maziarz Finance Committee
A-8645 John Higher Education
Enacts the New York State nursing shortage correction act; creates statewide nursing recruitment incentive and retention pilot initiatives; establishes the New York State nursing recruitment incentive and retention account.
Minimum of One School Nurse Per Building
S-6625 Robach Education Committee
A-9519 John Education Committee
Requires certain school districts, New York City, Yonkers, Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester, to employ a minimum of one school nurse per school building; authorizes the commissioner of education to promulgate additional staffing requirements.
Communicable Diseases
S-6820 Morahan Codes Committee
A-9608 Zebrowski Codes Committee
Creates the crime of reckless inflection of a patient with a communicable disease by a health care provider; requires the notification of patients by the department of health if a health care provider is determined to have exposed patients to a communicable disease through reckless conduct such as the reuse of a syringe, needle or other sharp; establishes as professional misconduct the reuse of a syringe, needle or other sharp; and relates to the time period for commencing certain medical malpractice actions.
Do Not Resuscitate
S-98 Hannon Health Committee
A-8162 Gottfried On Calendar
Authorizes nurse practitioners to issue orders not to resuscitate.
Guidance Counselor Services
S-2122 Padavan Education Committee
A-4153 Ortiz Education Committee
Requires at least one full-time guidance counselor to be employed in each elementary, intermediate, middle, junior and senior high schools throughout the state.
Assault on Nurses
S-3441 Golden Passed Senate; Assembly Codes Committee
A-6186 Koon Codes Committee
Adds registered nurse and licensed practical nurse to assault of emergency medical professionals and provides for class C and D felonies for physical injury to them.
As a union, our legislative action gives us a strong and powerful voice which is essential to protect and preserve our ability to care for each person with the dignity, respect and excellence they deserve. You are invited to join us in our efforts by simply calling our office and joining our political action committee. Please fill out the following information to become a part of our team.
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