PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S60-61)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 6, 2009
Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2009 - Amends part D (Miscellaneous) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) require each participating hospital to adopt and implement a staffing system that ensures a number of registered nurses on each shift and in each unit of the hospital to ensure appropriate staffing levels for patient care; (2) provide for the public reporting of certain staffing information, including a daily posting for each shift in the hospital of the current number of licensed and unlicensed nursing staff directly responsible for patient care; (3) prescribe recordkeeping, data collection, and evaluation requirements for participating hospitals; (4) specify civil monetary penalties for violations of such requirements; and (5) provide whistleblower protections.
People & committees
Sen. Inouye, Daniel K. [D-HI] · D–HI
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S60-61)
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S59-60)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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