LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Michigan Senate approved legislation Wednesday aimed at restricting mandatory overtime for hospital nurses, sending the bills to the House for further consideration.
Senate Bills 296 and 297 would prohibit hospitals from requiring registered nurses to work beyond their scheduled or on-call hours, except in emergency situations. The legislation also mandates rest periods between shifts and establishes fines for violations.
Supporters say the measures are designed to address burnout and improve patient safety.
“Nursing conditions are patient conditions,” said Renee Toth, a nurse at Munson Medical Center. “When nurses are required to work beyond safe limits, this is not simply a workplace issue. It’s a patient safety issue.”
The bills come after years of complaints from nurses about mandatory overtime being used as a routine staffing practice rather than for emergencies. Under the proposal, hospitals could still require limited additional hours in certain circumstances, but would face escalating fines for repeated violations.
Aaron McCormick, president of the Michigan Nurses Association, said the lack of safeguards has driven many nurses out of hospital settings.
“There are 50,000 nurses at least in the state of Michigan that are licensed that are not working in Michigan because the care conditions,” McCormick said, adding that many leave for other states or different careers.
Republican Sen. Ed McBroom, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said his support stems from repeated concerns he has heard from both patients and nurses.
“All of my personal experiences in hospital settings… could be really traced back to ratio issues and overtime issues,” McBroom said. “The failure to create a better, safer environment for the patients creates a poorer experience and poorer outcomes.”
The bills passed the Senate with bipartisan support and have been referred to the House Committee on Government Operations. If approved, the overtime restrictions would take effect in June 2027.
