As the DFL trifecta celebrates the major accomplishments from this legislative session, they should not forget they left nurses behind and allowed corporate greed to further diminish work to retain nurses at the bedside and provide quality care to their patients.
Now is the time for nurses to stand together to remind legislators that the treatment of nurses during this session is deeply alarming and that they owe nurses meaningful legislative to push against the further corporatization of healthcare and give nurses a meaningful voice in how they can best care for their patients.
We are currently hosting a statewide tour to engage with as many members as possible about what transpired during this pivotal legislative session and hear from members about what policies should be at the forefront of our work for the next legislative session.
Here are some of the legislative topics we will be covering on the tour:
Nurse and Patient Safety Act of 2023
Though the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act did not pass due to the Mayo exemption poison pill, MNA was able to push through a few significant provisions from the bill. This bill includes comprehensive workplace violence prevention measures, student loan debt forgiveness for registered nurses and nursing teaching faculty, a study on why nurses are leaving the bedside, and scholarship coverage for childcare for individuals completing registered nurse degree programs.
Healthcare Merger Regulations
With the threat of the Sanford/Fairview merger looming, MNA worked with the MN Attorney General Office and the MN Farmers Union to write legislation that provides the AG and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) oversight on healthcare mergers and the ability to prevent mergers when there is evidence to demonstrate the business transaction may cause harm to access and affordability of healthcare services as well as harm to workers. MNA fought hard to ensure that there are strong protections for workers and collective bargaining agreements. This new law provides important safety and regulatory authority to the State and helps to prevent harmful consolidation and further corporatization of healthcare.
Other New Laws That Will Impact Nurses
The 2023 session was a whirlwind of activity with many major legislative victories. Here is an overview of many of the new laws that passed, that will impact nurses across the state.