Advocacy Correspondence: PA House of Representatives, Opposition to HB 926

 

May 5, 2025

Members of the House of Representatives:

On behalf of more than 235 members statewide, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) writes today in opposition to House Bill 926, Printer’s No. 974, scheduled for a vote on second consideration today, May 5, with a final vote by the full House expected tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6.

Pennsylvania's hospitals and health systems take seriously all incidents of workplace violence and are motivated and are actively taking action to prioritize the safety and security of the health care workforce. However, workplace violence against health care workers will not be deterred by HB 926, and we respectfully ask for a no vote.

Requirements of House Bill 926

The language in House Bill 926 would impose a number of onerous state-level regulatory requirements on hospitals, undermining expertly planned and evolving safety and security programs, and conflicts with existing federal regulations creating multiple regulatory layers. In addition, the bill includes the following problematic elements:

• Requires a health care facility to establish a one-size fits all workplace violence prevention committee.
• Places regulatory oversight with the Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) which is not familiar with the nuances of health care, adding regulatory burden to an already highly regulated industry.
• Places a reporting expectation on all employees who think workplace violence has occurred regardless of whether they witnessed the event in question or heard about it.
• Creates a significant privacy conflict by requiring the sharing of workplace violence incidents with the committee regardless of a victim’s own personal wishes.
• Allows any individual, or their representation, to file a complaint with L&I, request an inspection, and accompany the inspector on their visit to a facility.
• Gives L&I subpoena and additional investigatory power that would be in conflict with privacy that is expected in a health care setting.

Duplicative and Inflexible Requirements

Pennsylvania hospitals are taking critical and proactive measures to protect their staff. According to a November 2024–January 2025 HAP survey:

• 100% of hospitals provide staff education on safety protocols.
• 99% promote respectful behavior through workplace initiatives.
• 96% offer de-escalation training to staff.
• 95% have enhanced security measures.
• 81% post no-tolerance notices for violence.
• 63% use weapons detection measures.

Lawmakers must focus on preventing violence and holding perpetrators accountable while considering the complexities of health care environments, instead of adding rigid requirements on the commonwealth’s already strained hospitals.

• Hospitals are already heavily regulated and required to establish and maintain safety and security programs. Hospitals must meet accreditation standards through 1) The Joint Commission, 2) comply with federal safety requirements overseen through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and 3) fulfill participation requirements through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• HB 926 introduces duplicative oversight. The legislation adds new regulatory authority under the Department of Labor and Industry—on top of existing Department of Health oversight—creating overlapping and potentially conflicting state and federal requirements and oversight, without evidence of improved safety outcomes for patients or health care workers.
• House Bill 926 calls for a one-size-fits-all approach, no matter the location, size, or complexity of the hospital. What works in a small, rural, single-building facility is vastly different from what would be effective for a campus located in an urban center or a system that employs thousands of people.

Alternative Approaches

HAP stands by protecting health care workers from violence in the workplace, and encourages the legislature to take meaningful action toward this goal in the form of:

• Immunity protection for individuals intervening in incidents of violence;

• Extended security protection afforded to other front-line and emergency responder professions;
• Increased penalties for violent perpetrators; and
• Creation of a statewide Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Advisory Board.

The hospital community is committed to prioritizing the security of hospital facilities and protecting the safety of all staff. HAP is not able to support House Bill 926, P.N. 974 but stands ready to partner with members of the legislature on innovative solutions that consider the unique safety and security needs of the hospitals across the state.

Please contact me or Sarah Lawver, HAP’s senior director, state advocacy, with any questions.

Sincerely,

Arielle Chortanoff

Senior Vice President, State Advocacy

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Topics: Workforce

Revision Date: 5/5/2025

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