NYSNA’s 2025 State Legislative Victories!

The 2025 New York legislative session has come to an end. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of our members, NYSNA won the following victories:

Workplace Violence:  

• We won a package of workplace violence prevention bills, including ones requiring private sector hospitals and nursing homes to conduct annual workplace violence (WPV) assessments with the active participation of workers and their unions, allowing healthcare workers who are victims of WPV to give their statements to police at the facility instead of the police station/precinct, and requiring public-sector employers to release and pay workers for participating in existing WPV programs.

Save Healthcare Services  

• Passed the Local Input in Community Healthcare (LICH) Act, prohibiting the Department of Health approval of closures of hospitals, reductions or closures of psych, maternity and ER services without prior public notice, public hearings and posting of health and equity impact statements (A6004/S1226). Read NYSNA's memo in support of this bill.

Nursing Practice:  

• Stopped the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact bill, which would have allowed unlicensed out-of-state nurses to practice in New York for up to six months pending licensure. This bill would have threatened patient safety, practice standards, and working conditions for the existing RN workforce (AA8472/S8341.) Read NYSNA's memo in opposition of this bill.

Quality Care for All  

• Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Care: Passed laws to shield abortion care practitioners from out-of-state lawsuits and harassment for providing legal care in New York, including allowing prescribers of abortion medications to list their employer instead of their own names on prescriptions - A5285/S4587 – and to list the employer/practice address (A2145A/S36A); passed law to require hospitals that refuse to provide reproductive/abortion/gender-affirming care on moral or religious grounds to publicly post notice to patients (A3862/S3486);  and passed law to protect practitioners including RNs and NPs who provide care that is legal in New York from out-of-state criminal charges, lawsuits, subpoenas  professional discipline, and other legal actions by bad actors trying to restrict access to care (AA5480/S4914).
• Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace: Passed legislation to expand on the LOADING Act passed last year to require disclosure, regulations, oversight and restrictions on the use of AI programs in government agencies. The new bill (A8295/S7599) is expanded to include local government agencies and authorities, prohibits use of automated systems in disciplinary and other employment contexts, and protects workers and the public from AI abuses.
• Patient rights/autonomy: Passed Medical Aid in Dying (A136/S138) to allow terminally ill patients the option of ending their life and allowing workers who object on moral grounds to not participate.   NYSNA members passed a resolution in support of this legislation at our 2024 Convention. Read NYSNA's memo in support of this bill.

Workers’ Rights:  

• Passed bill protecting workers against employer training repayment agreement provisions (TRAPs) that unfairly require workers to repay training and other penalties or costs if they quit their jobs (A584/S4070).