S. 5319 · 119th Congress
Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Not yet voted on. This bill is still a proposal: it hasn't reached a floor vote, and its text can change in committee or on the floor before any vote.
D
MerkleySponsor3 cosponsors · 3 D
3 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill requires certain providers, as a condition of Medicare participation, to limit mandatory overtime for nurses.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Aug 6, 2026
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.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act
Latest action (Aug 6, 2026): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Policy area: Health · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Aug 6, 2026
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.