PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

H.R. 4316: Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004

Before you vote › Federal bills

H.R. 4316: Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004

108th Congress · introduced 2004-05-06 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2004-05-06 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004

Plain summary

Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement staffing plans that meet specified ratios for direct care registered nurse-to-patient staffing levels for each unit and other requirements, including for receiving input from nurses. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to further limit such ratios as needed to ensure public safety and to establish ratios for units not specified. Provides an exception to such staffing requirements for a declared state of emergency. Requires hospitals to provide the Secretary with their staffing plan and annual updates. Requires the Secretary to conduct audits to ensure the implementation of adequate staffing plans. Requires the Secretary: (1) acting through the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to complete a study of licensed practical nurse staffing and its effects on patient care in hospitals; and (2) to establish requirements for hospitals based on the outcome of the study. Requires the Secretary to adjust payments to cover additional Medicare costs that are attributable to this Act. Requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to submit to Congress and the Secretary a report estimating total costs and savings attributable to compliance with nurse staffing requirements. Provides nurses with the right to refuse to accept assignments that would violate staffing requirements or for which they are not prepared. Prohibits retaliation by hospitals for such refusals or for reporting violations of staffing requirements.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2004

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] · 31 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] reported raising $415,385 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong108-hr4316 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108