By Mr. Moore, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate,
No. 1078) of Richard T. Moore for legislation to create a
special task force to make an investigation and study on
issues related to the healthcare work force. Labor and
Workforce Development. |
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, there is hereby established a special task force to study workforce issues relating to the shortage of health care workers in the Commonwealth. The task force shall investigate and report on recent trends in the health care labor market, including physicians, the nursing profession, other professionals in the medical field, the relationship of reimbursement rates to these trends, and the impact of these trends on the health care delivery system. The task force shall also develop and recommend strategies to enhance the recruitment and retention of nurses and other health care workers in the Commonwealth and shall serve as a clearinghouse for initiatives being undertaken across the state to deal with health care workforce issues.
The task force shall be comprised of 23 members, including the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Health Care, who shall serve as co-chairs of the advisory council; the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Insurance; the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor; a Senate member recommended by the Senate President; a Senate member of the minority party recommended by the minority leader of the Senate; a House member recommended by the Speaker of the House; a House member of the minority party recommended by the minority leader of the House; the Secretary of Administration and Finance or his designee; the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health or his designee; the Director of the Board of Registration in Nursing or her designee; the Director of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development or his designee; the dean of an accredited nursing school in the Commonwealth; and one representative from each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives, the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems, the Extended Care Federation, the Home and Health Care Association of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts State Council of Service Employees International Union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, and the Center for Health Professions at Worcester State College. Said task force shall file a report of its study, including its recommendations and drafts of any legislation, if necessary, with the clerks of the Senate and House of Representatives within six months of the effective date of this act.
