SEIU California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2025

Sacramento, CA – Members of SEIU California joined Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley) today to introduce legislation that strengthens hospital care for patients, building on California’s nation-leading nurse-to-patient ratio laws. The bill SB 596, puts more teeth in enforcement of the laws California nurses have championed to protect patients by ensuring nurses aren’t stretched too thin or too exhausted to monitor the patients in their care or respond to emergencies on the hospital floor.

“California’s nurse-to-patient ratios were designed to protect patients and the nurses entrusted to provide them with compassionate care—something all nurses took an oath to do. When staffing levels are unsafe, we can’t fulfill the promise we made to our patients and ourselves. Tightening the law will lead to better enforcement and better outcomes for all,” said Joyce Powell, RN, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Secretary-Treasurer of  SEIU 121RN.

California is already short nearly 20,000 nurses to meet our current needs, and nursing care hasn’t recovered from the staffing crisis that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

SB 596 will make it harder for hospitals to evade nurse-to-patient ratio laws by standardizing the “call list” process hospitals must use before they can claim an exception to the ratio law. It will also step up enforcement by the California Department of Public Health, increasing penalties so hospitals have a financial incentive to comply with the law, and clarifying penalties are applied for each instance of violating the law rather than a single penalty for multiple violations.

“California’s nurse-to-patient ratio law passed to improve patient care because violations lead to nurse burnout and unsafe patient conditions. Front line nurses know that some hospitals may try and evade mandated staffing at the expense of the front-line nurses and patients they serve. Clarifying state law will help ensure patients have the appropriate care and that nurses have the support they need to care for us when we are at our most vulnerable. I will always stand with front line nurses to improve access to safe, quality care for all Californians,” said the bill’s author Senator Caroline Menjivar.

The bill is currently awaiting referral to a Senate policy committee.

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