What's happening
This bill expands restrictions on consecutive work hours for nurses to include those working in facilities under article 19-G of the executive law.
Why it matters
Expands protections for nurses. by including those who work in Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) facilities (covered under article 19-G of the executive law), ensuring they are not required to work excessive consecutive hours.
Addresses nurse fatigue and patient safety. by targeting a previously uncovered group of nurses, aiming to reduce burnout and errors that can result from overwork in juvenile justice and child welfare settings.
Creates more uniform labor standards across state-operated health care settings. , reducing gaps in workplace protections and potentially improving recruitment and retention of nursing staff in OCFS facilities.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Limit Nurse Overtime Hours
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
312
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sen. PERALTA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to restrictions on consecutive hours of work for nurses in the office of children and family services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph a of subdivision 1 of section 167 of the labor law, as added by chapter 493 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
a. "Health care employer" shall mean any individual, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability company or any person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly on behalf of or in the interest of the employer, which provides health care services (i) in a facility licensed or operated pursuant to article twenty-eight of the public health law, including any facility operated by the state, a political subdivision or a public corporation as defined by section sixtysix of the general construction law, or (ii) in a facility operated by the state, a political subdivision or a public corporation as defined by section sixty-six of the general construction law, operated or licensed pursuant to the mental hygiene law, the education law, article nineteen-G of the executive law or the correction law.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00040-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to restrictions on consecutive hours of work for nurses in the office of children and family services
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1: of the bill amends Section 167 of the labor law to add facilities licensed or operated pursuant to Article 19-G of the Executive Law to the definition of Employer.
Section 2: of the bill sets forth the effective date.
Justification
Unlike their counterparts in other health care settings such as hospitals, correctional facilities, and mental health hospitals, nurses in facilities operated by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) are not covered by legislation enacted in 2008 limiting mandatory overtime. Aside from the personal and family hardships created by being forced to work extra hours, quality of care is jeopardized by mandatory overtime. When nurses are exhausted by long hours and little rest time there is an increased risk of medical errors that can harm a patient's health or well being. The work performed by nurses in OCFS is no less strenuous or demanding than the work of nurses currently covered, and their exclusion has the potential to put the youth they serve at risk.
Prior legislative history
2015-2016 - S.1070 2013-2014 - S.121 2011-12: S.4821
Fiscal implications
The use of overtime to address staffing needs has resulted in increased overtime costs. This bill should result in additional new entry level hires at more favorable cost.
Effective date
This act shall take effect 90 days after it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.