Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1154 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 386 FILED ON: 1/13/2023
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1154
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Julian Cyr
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to promote the recruitment and retention of hospital workers.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Julian CyrCape and IslandsJoanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester2/7/2023Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex2/7/2023Kathleen R. LaNatra12th Plymouth2/7/2023James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/8/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/8/2023Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/22/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/22/2023 1 of 4
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 386 FILED ON: 1/13/2023
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1154
18	18	By Mr. Cyr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1154) of Julian Cyr, Joanne M.
19	19	Comerford, Jack Patrick Lewis, Kathleen R. LaNatra and other members of the General Court
20	20	for legislation to promote the recruitment and retention of hospital workers. Labor and
21	21	Workforce Development.
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
25	25	(2023-2024)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act to promote the recruitment and retention of hospital workers.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. (a) There shall be a Hospital Workforce Training & Apprenticeship Trust
31	31	2Fund to provide support to eligible accountable care organizations, acute care hospitals, and their
32	32	3affiliated hospital health care providers and to be administered by the secretary of health and
33	33	4human services. Amounts credited to the fund shall be expended, subject to appropriation, by the
34	34	5secretary of health and human services, as trustee, consistent with this section. The fund shall be
35	35	6credited with money from public and private sources, including gifts, grants and donations,
36	36	7interest earned on such money, any other money authorized by the general court and specifically
37	37	8designated to be credited to the fund and any funds provided from other sources.
38	38	9 (b) The secretary may incur expenses, and the comptroller may certify amounts for
39	39	10payment in anticipation of expected receipts; provided, however, that no expenditure shall be
40	40	11made from the fund which shall cause the fund to be deficient at the close of a fiscal year. 2 of 4
41	41	12Revenues deposited in the fund that are unexpended at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to
42	42	13the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the following fiscal year.
43	43	14 (c) The secretary shall direct payments from the fund to eligible providers and also to
44	44	15labor-management training funds, community colleges, and other entities that apply to conduct
45	45	16training and offer education supports for the workforce of the eligible providers. All
46	46	17Massachusetts accountable care organizations, acute care hospitals and their affiliated hospital
47	47	18health care providers as defined by the center for health information and analysis shall be
48	48	19considered eligible providers for purposes of payments from the fund.
49	49	20 (d) All expenditures from the fund shall be made as grants to support training, registered
50	50	21apprenticeships, and other education supports to eligible providers and to entities conducting
51	51	22training for the eligible provider’s workforce. Grants made shall be carefully targeted to support
52	52	23education and training programs for the workforce of these providers, including for
53	53	24programming that enables the payment of replacement wages and tuition stipends for incumbent
54	54	25workers participating in career development training. Grants made shall support education and
55	55	26training programs designed to recruit and retain culturally, ethnically and linguistically
56	56	27diverse individuals to the hospital workforce. Grants may also be made to further the retention of
57	57	28health care workers through the provision of housing, child care, behavioral health, and other
58	58	29similar worker supports. The secretary shall award grants through an application process.
59	59	30 (e) The executive office of health and human services shall promulgate rules or
60	60	31regulations necessary to carry out this section.
61	61	32 (f) Not later than 90 days after payments are allocated to hospitals and their affiliated
62	62	33healthcare providers under this section, the secretary of health and human services shall file a 3 of 4
63	63	34report with the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on
64	64	35health care financing detailing the allocation and recipient of each grant awarded under this
65	65	36program.
66	66	37 SECTION 2. The executive office labor and workforce development, in collaboration
67	67	38with the executive office of health and human services, shall establish a marketing and public
68	68	39information campaign to promote the recruitment and retention of acute care hospital workers in
69	69	40Massachusetts. Subject to appropriation, this campaign shall include paid advertising to promote
70	70	41the array of open direct care and clinical positions at Massachusetts acute care hospitals with a
71	71	42focus on advancing the work done in these roles and on attracting workers to these careers. This
72	72	43campaign shall include a high-level marketing campaign around the importance of hospital work
73	73	44as well as micro-campaigns aimed at promoting certain hard-to-fill occupations. This campaign
74	74	45shall target working adults of all ages, have the intent to raise awareness of available
75	75	46occupations, highlight the importance and value of the roles, and seek to attract culturally,
76	76	47ethnically and linguistically diverse individuals.
77	77	48 SECTION 3. There shall be a Hospital Short Staffing Task Force to address workforce
78	78	49recruitment and retention challenges at Massachusetts acute care hospitals.
79	79	50 The task force shall consist of the following members: the secretary labor and workforce
80	80	51development, or their designee, who shall serve as chair; the secretary of health and human
81	81	52services, or their designee; the secretary of housing and economic development, 1 person to be
82	82	53appointed by the speaker the house of representatives; 1 person to be appointed by president of
83	83	54the senate; and 8 persons to be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be a representative of
84	84	55the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, 1 of whom shall be a representative of the 4 of 4
85	85	56Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, 1 of whom shall be a representative of
86	86	571199SEIU, 1 of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, 1 of
87	87	58whom shall represent the Commonwealth Corporation, 1 of whom shall represent the University
88	88	59of Massachusetts, 1 of whom shall represent a private post-secondary educational institution, 1
89	89	60of whom shall represent a workforce training vendor, and 1 of whom shall be an incumbent
90	90	61worker in a Massachusetts acute care hospital. In making appointments, the governor shall, to the
91	91	62maximum extent feasible, ensure that the task force represents a broad distribution of diverse
92	92	63perspectives, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and geographic regions.
93	93	64 (b) In making its recommendations, the task force shall consider: (i) improvements to the
94	94	65MassHealth reimbursement system for acute care hospitals that promote financial stability; (ii)
95	95	66industry-wide workforce initiatives including, but not limited to, ways to lower the cost of
96	96	67education and training, and to improve recruitment, rates of pay, and other methods of ensuring a
97	97	68sustainable workforce; (iii) the role of external economic factors on the development and
98	98	69retention of the acute care hospital workforce such as the increases in the minimum wage and
99	99	70competition from other industries, and (iv) any additional reforms to strengthen the recruitment
100	100	71and retention of the acute care hospital workforce.
101	101	72 (c) The task force shall convene its first meeting within 90 days after passage of this act.
102	102	73The task force shall submit its report, including any proposed legislation necessary to carry out
103	103	74its recommendations, by filing the same with the clerks of the house of representatives and
104	104	75senate, the joint committee on health care financing, the joint committee on elder affairs and the
105	105	76house and senate committees on ways and means not later than one year from passage of this act.