Nurses staffing bill debate continues in the final hours of legislative session

Nurse staffing deal close

A contentious bill that inspired protests among nurses is still pending as the legislative session nears and end.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - On the final day of the legislative session, questions remained about whether lawmakers would pass the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act. But on Monday evening, a deal was reached to pass a stripped-down version of the bipartisan bill.

Mary Turner, president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, did not hold back her disappointment at a news conference Monday night announcing that the bill had been gutted. She said the proposal, which was renamed to the Nurse and Patient Safety Act, will help keep nurses safer, but the proposal was not what nurses advocated for all session long.

"Today, my heart breaks for the patients in Minnesota. We came here to pass the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act. Because of the power and influence of corporate healthcare executives, that bill has died and I'm heartbroken," said Turner.

The previous proposal would have required hospitals to form committees to set nurse staffing levels, but Mayo Clinic threatened to move a multi-billion dollar project out of the state unless Mayo was exempted from the bill. The proposal’s authors said that didn't sit well with multiple lawmakers, and they no longer had the votes to pass the plan. So on Monday night, lawmakers reached a deal to strip out the staffing language.

"We didn't get everything that we wanted. We're not going to get everything that we need. But what we have in this provision ... is important, transformative work," said Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul.

The stripped-down proposal, which is expected to pass both chambers Monday night, now includes a study on nurse staffing and retention, new protections against workplace violence, childcare assistance and student loan forgiveness for nurses.

"I hope that looking forward, we can build the camaraderie that the nurses feel toward their patients, working with the administration. Because it should be a team," said Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka.

Late Monday the Minnesota Hospital Association released a statement that read in part, "The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) is unwavering in its support for legislation addressing workplace violence and the workforce shortage confronting our statewide system of care."