The ANA-Ohio Board of Directors approved the following statement at its December 11, 2023, board meeting.

Members of the ANA-Ohio Public Policy Committee are reviewing HB 285 very carefully. (The bill would in part establish nurse patient ratios in Ohio law). Neither the committee nor the association has taken an official position on the proposal yet, largely because the issue is very complex, and the bill bears scrutiny. We encourage nurses to read the bill very carefully and to contact ANA-Ohio with specific questions or concerns. It is not an easy read so please feel free to reach out.

As for a general update the bill was introduced October 2, 2023, and referred to the House Health Provider Services Committee on October 3, 2023. It has not been scheduled for a hearing yet. The bill has bipartisan co-sponsors, including Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin) a physician who is also on the health committee that will be hearing the bill. Neither of the nurses in the General Assembly (Rep. Rachel Baker (D-Cincinnati) nor Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) has signed on to co-sponsor; nor did physician Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin) ranking member on the committee. Both nurses are also members of the committee. Bill sponsor, Rep. Haraz Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) described the bill as a work in progress, and said he was working with hospitals to make it "workable" for them. The bill is also sponsored by Rep. Elgin Rogers (D-Toledo).

As of January 15th, the bill had not been scheduled for a committee hearing. Given the very limited time the House is likely to be meeting prior to the March 19th primary, we continue to believe the bill will not receive serious scrutiny for some time. There remains time to do a thorough review and develop an equally thorough response.

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