Victory! Hospital Safety Bill Becomes Law Thanks to SEIU

AB 1083, an SEIU supported bill that would require hospitals to conduct annual reviews of their security and safety assessments, was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger on October 11th! It has officially been filed with the Secretary of State's office. The victory ends a long period of waiting, while the bill languished on the governor's desk for several weeks waiting for a signature. 

The security and safety assessments are designed to protect hospital patients, staff and visitors from aggressive or violent behavior. The measure, authored by Assembly member John Perez (D-Los Angeles), also recommends that security plans include provisions about consulting with employees and cooperating with local law enforcement. Efforts by our union's lobbying program and SEIU Local 121RN were key to getting the bill passed. On its way to the governor AB 1083 also gathered the support of Kaiser, and passed through committees with unanimous support before getting to the floor of the legislature. 

Follow this link to read the entire text of the bill

The SEIU Nurse Alliance of California will keep nurses informed about future actions we may need to take to encourage our worksites to follow the intent of the bill once it takes effect in 2010.