# 119-s-3886: Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act

119-s-3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3886
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3886
- Congress: 119
- Title: Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**This bill would set a new federal floor for nurse staffing by requiring minimum nurse hours and guaranteed RN coverage in Medicare and Medicaid nursing facilities.** It pairs those staffing rules with a mandated study, recurring funding for oversight, and rules to direct civil money penalties into workforce training and loan repayment.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New funding for nursing home oversight: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would provide $800 million each year starting in fiscal year 2027 to fund CMS's Survey and Certification Program. The money would come from Medicare trust funds in proportions the Secretary decides. The funds would remain available until spent. The funding would support inspect…
- Penalty funds for nursing workforce programs: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require that at least 50% of certain Medicare and Medicaid nursing‑facility penalty funds be used in the year collected for workforce development. States could fund grants, career pathway programs, and student loan repayment or tuition if a worker commits to at least 3 ye…
- Minimum nurse staffing in nursing homes: mixed, high. If enacted, nursing homes that take Medicare or Medicaid would need at least 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident each day. The bill would define hours per resident day (HPRD) as total hours worked by specified staff divided by total residents, as calculated by CMS. Facilities would need a regis…
- Make Medicaid managed care rules law: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would make two Medicaid managed‑care and payment‑transparency rules law as they were on May 10, 2024. That would make those managed‑care and payment‑transparency requirements enforceable for States, plans, providers, and enrollees. This could change how plans operate and how be…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3886 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3886)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3886 (as of 2026-04-21).