Legislative Updates from WVNA March 5, 2020
Posted over 5 years ago by Julie Huron
The 2020 HP and L Committee has been meeting, has attended stakeholder meetings, Senate Health Committee meetings and continues to engage our legislators on behalf of WV Nurses.
HB 4011 Chapter 30: Relating to reorganizing various boards and authorities for the licensing and oversight of trades, occupations, and professions Passed the House, it is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
HB 4356 CRNA: Relating to the administration of anesthetics. To update the WV Nurse Practice Act to reflect actual CRNA practice across the state. Passed the House, it is now in the Senate Health Committee.
HB 4583 AARP: Relating to requiring accountable pharmaceutical transparency, oversight, and reporting act. Introduced in the House, passed out of House Health and Human Resources and is now in House Government Organizations.
HB 4734 Nurse Practice rewrite: Relating to rewriting the article on registered professional nurses. Introduced in the House, passed out of House Health and Human Resources, and is now in the Senate Health Committee.
HB 4799 and SB 719 WVNA Patient Safety and Transparency Bill. Relating to allow facilities to establish staff-based RN committees to determine appropriate, acuity-based nurse to patient ratio’s. The facilities would also be responsible to post their daily nurse to patient ratio’s in each unit, thereby providing transparency to the public and place nurses on staffing committees. Lead Sponsor: Delegate Summers, Sponsors Delegate Ellington, Delegate Fast and Delegate Fleischauer. The bill is currently in the House Health Committee and the Senate version is in the Senate Health Committee.
As most members are aware, the WVNA has generated an anonymous survey to better assist us with determining the severity of acute care staffing deficiencies here in West Virginia. You can find a link to your “WV Acute Care Nurse Staffing” survey HERE. These surveys are providing us with real-life nursing stories so we encourage everyone to please take a few minutes to complete the survey and then share with your fellow acute care nurses.
As the 2020 legislative session wraps up this Saturday, March 7th, WVNA will continue to work for WV Nurses and for the patients of West Virginia. Nurses are the heart of healthcare, and we are the number one most trusted profession for a reason.