Nurses and Bipartisan Lawmakers Join Forces to Address Ohio's Staffing and Patient Care Crisis
COLUMBUS —The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) applauds the introduction of two major pieces of legislation that together form the most comprehensive bipartisan effort in years to address deliberate understaffing in Ohio’s hospital system.
The Ohio Nurse Workforce and Safe Patient Act (HB 521), sponsored by Representatives Crystal Lett (D–Columbus) and Christine Cockley (D–Columbus), and the Nurse Staffing Committee Reform bill (HB 351), sponsored by Representative Brian Lorenz (R–Powell), work in tandem to confront the crisis of nurse burnout, unsafe workloads, and preventable patient harm.
“These bills represent the answer to the question we hear every day from Ohio nurses, patients, and families — what can be done about chronic understaffing in hospitals?” said Rick Lucas, RN, President of the Ohio Nurses Association. “The answer is accountability, transparency, and putting bedside nurses in control of decisions that affect patient safety.”
HB 521: The Ohio Nurse Workforce and Safe Patient ActHB 521 sets statewide, evidence-based minimum nurse-to-patient ratios across hospital units, includes whistleblower protections, and creates strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance. It also invests in the future of the nursing workforce through a Nursing Student Loan-to-Grant Program, providing $20 million in state funding to help students enter and remain in the profession.
HB 535: The Nurse Staffing Committee Reform Bill
Complementing HB 521, The Nurse Staffing Committee Reform Bill HB 535 introduced by Rep. Lorenz strengthens Ohio’s existing staffing law (ORC 3727.50 et seq.) to ensure that frontline nurses have binding authority in staffing decisions at the unit level. The bill requires that at least 51 percent of each hospital staffing committee be made up of direct-care nurses, elected by their peers. These committees will develop and approve unit-specific minimum staffing levels based on patient acuity and evidence-based safe nurse staffing standards.
HB 535 also establishes an incentive program through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to reward hospitals that meet or exceed staffing compliance thresholds with premium discounts.
A Bipartisan Path Forward
Together, HB 521 and HB 535 form a bipartisan package of solutions that balances immediate, hospital-driven reforms with long-term, statewide accountability. “This is what leadership looks like,” Lucas said. “Democrats and Republicans coming together to protect Ohio’s patients, support our healthcare workers, and rebuild a system that’s been stretched to the breaking point.”
Ohio’s nurses and health professionals are clear: we will not accept deliberate understaffing, unsafe care, or underfunding of our hospitals.
“Every patient deserves safe, high-quality care no matter their ZIP code,” Lucas said. “These bills finally put patient safety where it belongs; above profit, politics, and bureaucracy.”
About ONA
Formed in 1904, the Ohio Nurses Association is a powerful network of nurses and health professionals. Our mission is to unite and empower nurses and health professionals, championing their rights, promoting professional practice, and advocating for quality care for all patients in Ohio, while fostering a strong and cohesive professional union community. To learn more or to become a member of the Ohio Nurses Association, visit https://ohnurses.org/.