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S. 5319 119th Congress Senate

Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act

Official title: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by limiting the number of mandatory overtime hours a nurse may be requ… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for patient protection by limiting the number of mandatory overtime hours a nurse may be required to work in certain providers of services to which payments are made under the Medicare Program.

Introduced: August 6, 2026 Introduced by: Jeff Merkley Democratic · Oregon See on congress.gov
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 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 6, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Aug 6, 2026
Introduced in Senate
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What's happening now August 6, 2026

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act

This bill requires certain providers, as a condition of Medicare participation, to limit mandatory overtime for nurses.

Specifically, the bill prohibits hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and other specified providers from requiring nurses to work (1) more than a previously scheduled shift, 48 hours in a workweek, or 12 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period; or (2) during the 10 hours immediately following the 12th hour worked in a shift during a 24-hour period.

Qualifying work hours include time spent in training, on call, and on standby. The bill's provisions do not apply during declared emergencies or disasters, subject to specified conditions, and do not preclude voluntary overtime.

The bill also establishes (1) certain protections for nurses who file complaints against providers, (2) documentation and notice requirements for providers, and (3) potential civil penalties for violations.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 10056 Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act of 2026
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 4

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Democratic 3
D
Fetterman, John
Pennsylvania · Aug 6, 2026
 D
Schiff, Adam B.
California · Aug 6, 2026
 D
Van Hollen, Chris
Maryland · Aug 6, 2026
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 5319: Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-5319/
MLA
"S. 5319: Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-5319/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 5319, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-5319/.
Markdown link
[S. 5319: Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-5319/)
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