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LEGISLATIVE MATTERS | Ohio House passes bill prohibiting mandatory overtime for nurses

Under the legislation, nurses can still voluntarily work overtime and hospitals can still offer overtime.
Published By Mahoning Matters on June 10, 2021
Al Cutrona In The News

COLUMBUS — The Ohio House on Thursday passed House Bill 163, legislation that would prohibit mandatory overtime work for nurses as a condition of employment.

“Ohio nurses and other health care providers have supported us throughout the coronavirus pandemic,” state Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, a cosponsor of the bill, said on the House floor. “It is our time to support nurses by enacting legislation that takes into account the regular practice of mandating overtime.”

Under the legislation, which the House passed with an 82-12 vote, nurses can still voluntarily work overtime and hospitals can still offer overtime. The bill prohibits a hospital from requiring a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse to work in excess of an agreed upon, predetermined, scheduled full-time or part-time workweek as a condition of continued employment.

“This bill does not prohibit a nurse from working as much overtime as he or she feels they are capable of performing. However, it will allow nurses to refuse to work overtime without the threat of displaying a reaction or being fired,” Cutrona said.

Cutrona said the bill allows hospital management to enact overtime for a variety of emergency situations when necessary.

The legislation now moves to the Senate.

 
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