Urge your Representative to co-sponsor the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act, H.R. 2122— legislation that would strictly limit mandatory overtime for nurses.

The use of mandatory overtime as a staffing tool is a growing problem across our nation, and this dangerous practice is having a negative impact on patient care, fostering medical errors, and driving nurses away from the bedside in a time of nursing shortage.  

It’s time to enact H.R. 2122, federal legislation that would put an end to this dangerous practice. H.R. 2122 would:

• Prohibit health care facilities that receive Medicare funding from requiring a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to work beyond an agreed to, predetermined, regularly scheduled shift.  
• Prohibit a provider from requiring nurses to work more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period or for more than 80 hours in a two-week period.
• Ensure whistleblower protections for nurses who refuse overtime or who report information or cooperate with investigations regarding the use of overtime.  

Importantly H.R. 2122 includes an exemption for declared local, state, or national emergencies, and the provisions would not apply to voluntary overtime.

Click the take action button to use our sample letter to let your Representative know how important this issue is to you and your patients.  You can make your letter even more powerful by sharing your own personal experience and concerns about mandatory overtime.

ANA needs your help to spread the word and build support.  Write your Representative Today!