On National Nurses Week, Rep. Courtney's Workplace Violence Prevention Bill Is Introduced In The Senate

Statement

As the nation celebrates National Nurses Week, Rep. Joe Courtney's (CT-02) bipartisan bill to protect nurses, health care worker, and social service employees against workplace violence has officially been introduced to the U.S. Senate by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195/S. 4182) would curb rising rates of on-the-job assaults against nurses and others by directing OSHA to issue a standard requiring health care and social service employers to write and implement a workplace violence prevention plan to prevent and protect their employees from violent incidents.

Rep. Courtney's Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act already passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. In April 2021, the House voted to pass the bill by a margin of 254-166--an even greater bipartisan majority than when similar legislation introduced by Courtney passed the House in 2019. Courtney's bill has drawn endorsements from a host of health care and social service professionals and from unions representing workers in these sectors, and it's drawn official support from the Biden Administration--introduction to the Senate this week marks an important step forward towards completing this effort once and for all.

"Nurses are a critical workforce within our healthcare system, and it's a workforce that's been under tremendous stress for many years--even before the pandemic hit," said Rep. Courtney. "I've been married to a nurse practitioner for over thirty years, I've worked alongside Connecticut's nurses and healthcare professionals ever since I came to Congress, and we've pressed forward time and again to address the growing crisis of on-the-job violence taking place against the same people we depend on to care for us when we're sick or injured. Nurses didn't join the profession to take abuse, and the best way to retain and recruit qualified health care professionals is to ensure they don't have to worry about getting physically assaulted at work every day. That's exactly what our Workplace Violence Prevention bill is all about, and it's because of the grassroots support of nurses in Connecticut and across the country that we've come so close now to the finish line. We already passed this bill in the House on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 254-166, the President has said he'd like to sign it, and thanks to Senator Baldwin we're finally moving on to press forward in the Senate. I hope every Senator will co-sponsor our bill and show health care workers real support instead of lip service."

"Our nurses, doctors, social services workers, and health care professionals deserve to work in a safe environment free from violence," said Senator Baldwin. "Health care workers have faced unprecedented obstacles just to stay healthy and do their jobs through the pandemic, and on top of it all, they have seen senseless violence against them. It is unacceptable and we must provide basic protections and safety standards to a workforce that serves people during some of their most vulnerable times."

"This groundbreaking legislation will hold health care and social service employers accountable for the safety of their workers," said Bonnie Castillo, RN and executive director of NNU. "It's time for employers to stop putting people's lives in danger. Everyone deserves to be safe in their workplace, and that includes hospitals, clinics, and social service settings that are so crucial now more than ever given the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. We are grateful for the leadership of Sen. Baldwin and Rep. Courtney for spearheading this important legislation."

The Nine-Year Effort to Codify Workplace Protections for Health Care and Social Service Workers

Incidents of violence against health care and social service workers is on the rise and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2016 GAO study reported that rates of violence against health care workers are up to 12 times higher than rates for the overall workforce, and 70% of nonfatal workplace assaults in 2016 occurred in the health care and social assistance sectors. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2018 found a sharp increase in serious injuries because of workplace violence among health care workers. A 2020 survey of registered nurses conducted by National Nurses United (NNU) found that 20% of registered nurses reported increased workplace violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Front line employees in these settings interact with a range of patients and clients, often with little training or direction for how to prevent or handle interactions that become violent. The Workplace Violence Prevention in Health Care and Social Services Act would ensure that health care and social service workplaces adopt proven prevention techniques and are prepared to respond in the tragic event of a violent incident. 

In 2013, Courtney requested that the Government Accountability Office study the trends in healthcare workplace violence and identify options for OSHA to curtail it, and in 2016 he and other members asked OSHA to develop a workplace safety standard to protect health care workers from this rising violence. OSHA agreed to undergo rulemaking on health care workplace violence, but action stalled under the previous administration. In the absence of voluntary action from OSHA, this legislation is necessary to ensure that nurses, doctors, medical assistants, emergency personnel, and social service workers are not subjected to needless preventable acts of violence on the job.

In 2019, during the 116th Congress, Courtney's Workplace Violence Prevention in Health Care and Social Services Act passed the House with bipartisan support by a margin of 251-158. The bill was not voted on by the Senate that year. Since then, the epidemic of violence against health care and social service workers has continued nationwide. In February of 2021, the Minneapolis Star Tribune announced its support for Rep. Courtney's bill following a deadly shooting at a health clinic in Buffalo, MN.

Rep. Courtney re-introduced the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1195) to the House in February 2021. The bill was bipartisan from the start--original co-sponsors included Reps. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03), Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Don Young (R-AK-At Large), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), and Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-04). This time, Courtney's bill passed by an even greater bipartisan margin of 254-166.

Upon introduction to the Senate this week, Senator Baldwin's companion legislation is supported by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Christopher Coons (D-DE), and Bob Casey (D-PA).

Courtney and Baldwin's Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act has received support from a host of health care and social service professionals, as well as unions representing workers in these sectors. Endorsing organizations include National Nurses United (NNU), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Government Employees, International Association of Fire Fighters, United Steelworkers (USW), and Public Citizen.

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