Some of our most significant and effective legislation is first debated and enacted at the state level before it makes its way to Washington, DC—why Justice Brandeis referred to states as the “laboratories of democracy.”  Health care measures from family medical leave to needlestick protections are important examples.

A number of states have taken the lead on bills from staffing ratios to mandatory overtime to safe handling and more.

Click on the links below to learn more about which states are acting on these key issues (data is current to the end of the most recent state legislative cycle, which for most states concluded in 2005 for most states):

• Nurse staffing ratios
• Nurse staffing plans
• Mandatory overtime ban
• Safe patient handling and movement
• Whistleblower protection
• Universal health care