One of CHA’s highest legislative priorities this year has been Senate Bill (SB) 227 (Leyva, D-Chino), which would create duplicative and mandatory fines for hospitals if they do not meet required nurse staffing ratios. With help from member hospitals, our advocacy generated key amendments last week, including:

• An exemption for hospitals that — in response to an unforeseeable and uncontrollable fluctuation — promptly make an effort to maintain staffing requirements
• A 50% reduction in the fines (now $15,000 for the first violation and $30,000 subsequently)
• A reduction in the length of time required to revert to a first violation (lowered from six years to three)

This week’s special elections yielded important results for hospitals, including the defeat of a Los Angeles ballot measure that would have taxed hospitals. Measure EE, proposed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), would have enacted a parcel tax (a type of property tax ) to generate money that would support smaller class sizes and staffing increases for the next 12 years. Hospitals in the LAUSD would have been subject to the new tax.