# 119-hr-10056: Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act of 2026

119-hr-10056, Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10056
- As of: 2026-08-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-10056
- Congress: 119
- Title: Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-27

## Summary

**Limits mandatory nurse overtime at Medicare-participating providers.** This bill would bar providers that receive Medicare payments from requiring nurses to work beyond set hour caps and would create enforcement, penalties, and worker protections to back those limits. - Nurses: Gives registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and licensed vocational nurses the right to refuse mandatory overtime without retaliation and a whistleblower complaint path. It sets hour caps like 48 hours per workweek and 12 consecutive hours in 24 hours and covers required meetings and on-call time as hours worked. - Patients and families: Aims to reduce long nurse shifts to protect patient safety and directs the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to study safe maximum nurse hours and report recommendations to Congress within 2 years. - Providers and federal facilities: Requires Medicare providers to post schedules, keep written overtime policies, and notify staff of rights. The Secretary may levy civil money penalties up to $10,000 for each knowing violation and the Office of Management and Budget must report on federally operated facilities within 6 months. Effective date is 1 year after enactment and State laws providing greater protections remain valid.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New limits on mandatory nurse overtime: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would stop Medicare-participating providers from forcing nurses to work past set limits. You could not be required to work more than 48 hours in a workweek or more than 12 hours in a row. You also could not be required to work during the 10 hours after a 12-hour shift or beyond…
- Protections and penalties for nurses: benefit, medium. If enacted, nurses would be protected from firing or other retaliation for refusing mandatory overtime or for reporting violations in good faith. Nurses could file complaints with the HHS Secretary, who would investigate and require providers to fix problems. The Secretary could fine providers up t…
- Keeps state and contract protections intact: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would not replace stronger Federal, State, or local laws or collective bargaining rights. Existing union agreements or state laws that give greater protection against mandatory overtime would still apply. The overtime subsection would not reduce rights already available to nurs…
- Provider notice and scheduling rules: benefit, low. If enacted, providers would have to make written mandatory-overtime policies and give them to new nursing staff. Providers would also post unit or department nurse schedules and make daily schedules available on request. They would post a Secretary-prescribed notice about nurses' rights and how to…
- Emergency exception for nurse overtime: mixed, low. If enacted, providers could require nurses to work past the overtime limits during declared major disasters or state/tribal emergencies. That would be allowed only if the provider tried reasonable staffing alternatives; the extra hours end when the emergency ends or when the provider's response end…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-10056 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10056)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10056 (as of 2026-08-27).