An act relating to preventing workplace violence in hospitals
Sponsored By: Rep. Mari Cordes
Signed by Governor
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New safety protections for hospital workers
Beginning July 1, 2025, licensed Vermont hospitals must carry out written plans to prevent workplace violence and manage aggressive behavior. Risk reviews must cover emergency departments and all patient care areas, considering patient volume, local crime, and available police. Planning teams must include direct-care workers, designated regional agency representatives, and relevant law enforcement. Hospitals must also consult medical and nursing leaders and supervisors from high-risk areas. At least one employee trained to calm tense situations must be present at all times in emergency departments and other patient care areas. Training must cover safety, weapons, defensive tactics, calming tense situations, restraint and seclusion, crisis response, trauma, and clinician well-being. It must also cover law enforcement's role and safely helping people at risk of harming themselves or others. Plans must name a liaison trained in trauma-informed care and victim support to coordinate with police and help victims through legal proceedings. Hospitals must offer staff badges showing only a first name or a first name and last initial. Providers and police must jointly develop guidelines for when police stay with patients who have shown violence or harm. Hospitals must review plans annually using incident data, revise them as needed, notify employees, and share plans with relevant partners. Hospitals must post clear printed or electronic notices rejecting threatening behavior and warning of legal consequences for assaulting staff.
Protected violence reporting for hospital workers
Beginning July 1, 2025, licensed Vermont hospitals must document, track, and review workplace violence incidents. They must count reported incidents and incidents reported to law enforcement, using the data to improve safety and training. All employees must learn how to report to the hospital, security, police, or other appropriate groups. Hospitals must adopt policies banning discrimination or retaliation against anyone who reports violence or seeks help. Those policies must also protect people who participate in investigations or refuse to participate.
Hospital security costs face new rules
Beginning July 1, 2025, hospitals must report security-plan costs to the Green Mountain Care Board in yearly budget filings. Reported costs must include staff, program operations, and any capital investments, such as building upgrades. Hospitals are not required to make capital investments, and necessary security-plan spending is excluded from the specified regulatory subchapter. The supplied text does not identify that subchapter's rules. The Agency of Human Services must help hospitals identify incentives, funding sources, and other support; no funding amount is specified. Budget filings also include financial, wage, rate, service, and use data, proposed programs, depreciation schedules, four-year capital projections, and one-year capital plans. Board-reviewed budgets must account for security costs and support equal access to mental health care with comparable quality, access, and affordability standards. They must also include a finding about the required method for reflecting net revenue reductions for non-Medicaid payers.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Mari Cordes
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
Bill Text
As Enacted (ACT 9)Opens in a new window
5/6/2025
As Passed by Both Chambers
4/22/2025
As Passed by Both Chambers (Unofficial)
4/22/2025
As Passed by the House
3/20/2025
As Passed by the House (Unofficial)
3/20/2025
As Introduced
2/18/2025
Related Bills
H.293, An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to the Department of Health’s reporting and programming requirements
H.211, An act relating to data brokers and personal information
S.313, An act relating to transforming Vermont’s career technical education system
S.323, An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects
S.326, An act relating to miscellaneous amendments to laws relating to motor vehicles
S.328, An act relating to housing and common interest communities