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Legislative Progress
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Key Points
Nursing homes would be required to have a registered nurse on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Currently, many facilities are only required to have a registered nurse for 8 hours a day.
The bill sets a minimum of 3.48 hours of direct care per resident every day. This care must be provided by a mix of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing assistants to ensure resident safety.
To help find and keep workers, the government would use money collected from nursing home fines to pay for student loan relief and training programs. This funding would support nurses and aides who commit to working in nursing homes for at least three years.
The new staffing rules would take effect 180 days after the bill becomes law. Every four years, the government would conduct a study to see if these staffing levels need to be raised even higher based on the health needs of residents.
The plan provides $800 million every year to help inspect nursing homes. This money is intended to make sure facilities are following safety rules and meeting the new staffing requirements.
HealthcareLabor Employment
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Life & Work
Many nursing homes are operated by small businesses or independent operators. The new minimum staffing requirements — especially 24/7 registered nurse coverage — would significantly increase labor costs for facilities that currently operate with fewer staff. While the bill includes workforce development funding, it does not provide direct financial assistance to facilities to meet higher staffing levels. Smaller, rural facilities may find it particularly difficult to recruit enough registered nurses to maintain round-the-clock coverage.
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Programs
Disabilities
Milestones
2 milestones2 actions
Feb 12, 2026Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Feb 12, 2026
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
News
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Exclusive: Dem bill would revive nursing home staff minimums
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act
Bill NumberS 3886
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
