THE HEALING GREED AGENDA
HEAL (Healthcare Employee Anti-Retaliation and Labor) Act (HF4200/SF4444)
Chief Authors: Representative Sandra Feist (D 39B – DFL), Senator Lindsey Port (SD 55 – DFL)
- Protect nurse voices for safe patient care – When executives cut nurse staffing levels, care conditions worsen for patients. But when nurses raise these concerns, they often face retaliation, including unfair scheduling, being sent home without pay, or being denied time off. Workers seek protections when they take action to hold hospital executives accountable to safe patient care, while codifying protections against discrimination in care delivery. The bill would also ensure nurse voices are included and protected in discussions about how to improve patient care when something goes wrong in our hospitals.
IMPROVING SAFETY IN HOSPITALS ACT (HF4210/SF4064)
Chief Authors: Representative Liz Reyer (D 52A – DFL), Senator Liz Boldon (SD 25 – DFL)
- Address the violent consequences of CEO inaction – When hospital executives cut staffing levels, the risk of violence goes up for workers and patients, and hospitals are now one of the most dangerous places to work in Minnesota. Nurses seek improved violence prevention measures in Minnesota hospitals, including crisis response teams, better record-keeping, trauma-informed care plans for patients with behavioral health needs, and de-escalation training for all hospital staff. The bill would also make hospital executives, not nurses, responsible for their staffing and safety decisions.
RN STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS (HF4140/SF4101)
Chief Authors: Representative Sandra Feist (D 39B – DFL), Senator Zaynab Mohamed (SD 63 – DFL)
- Improve nurse loan forgiveness – Expanded funding and eligibility for loan forgiveness will help Minnesota nurses struggling to enter, or stay in, bedside nursing.
TEAL (TAX-EXEMPT ACCOUNTABILITY LAW (HF4870/SF4948)
Chief Authors: Representative Robert Bierman (D 56A – DFL), Senator Melissa Wicklund (SD 51 – DFL)
- Regulate “non-profit” hospitals that make millions – Nonprofit hospitals are exempt from taxes despite bringing in millions or billions of dollars in revenue each year. Instead of taxes, these nonprofits are meant to provide charity care and other community benefits, but most hospitals fall far short, spending tax-avoidant dollars on things like advertising, CEO pet projects, or even working hand-in-hand with union-busting firms. TEAL will close some of these financial reporting loopholes and create new requirements for reporting hospital community benefits.
HOSPITAL CLOSURE BILL (HF3700/SF4382)
Chief Authors: Representative Andy Smith (D 25B – DFL), Senator Robert Kupec (SD 04 – DFL)
- Public notice for corporate closures – When hospital executives close hospital services, it limits patient access to care, eliminates good jobs, and further concentrates corporate power in healthcare. Nurses seek legislation to provide more prior notice when executives slate a hospital for closure or propose service reductions, unit closures, healthcare consolidations, as well as strict fines for hospitals that violate the law.
HCMC OVERSIGHT ACT (HF4744/SF4355)
Chief Authors: Representative Sydney Jordan (D 60A—DFL), Senator John Hoffman (SD 34 – DFL)
- Accountability for public hospitals – Publicly-owned hospitals have a special responsibility to provide equitable care to our communities, but current leadership at Hennepin County Medical Center is driving healthcare workers from the bedside and putting patient care at risk. To ensure accountability at Minnesota’s largest, public safety net hospital, nurses call for more budgetary oversight by the Hennepin County Board of Directors and to postpone funding a new hospital building until changes are made to ensure fiscal transparency and responsibility.
HOSPITAL CEO PAY CAPS (HF1397/SF1533)
Chief Authors: Representative Mike Freiberg (D 43B—DFL), Senator Lindsey Port (SD 55 – DFL)
- Limit hospital executive pay – Hospital CEOs are making millions, taking six-digit raises each year while patients are charged more and healthcare workers are getting chewed up and spit out. We need to cap nonprofit hospital CEO and executive pay so more resources go where they should in our hospitals – to patients and caregivers at the bedside. This legislation would cap hospital executive pay at the same rate as the U.S. president.
OTHER PRIORITY LEGISLATION
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE FOR STRIKING WORKERS (HF3446/SF3588)
Chief Authors: Representative Kaela Berg (D 55B – DFL), Senator Zaynab Mohamed (SD 63 – DFL)
- Allow striking workers to access unemployment insurance – Collective action is often the most effective way for nurses to improve care and working conditions when executives refuse to address the problems in our hospitals. However, corporate executives still retain an unfair advantage during a strike, as workers often have to go with no pay for their families. Access to unemployment insurance payments would allow nurses to keep food on the table and meet the bare minimum of family expenses while they fight for the healthcare system we all deserve.