Hospitals were granted expanded immunity from lawsuits during the height of COVID. But the case of a woman who died of heart failure is challenging the protection.
The measure would boost the mandatory minimum staffing hours time that a nurse or certified nursing assistant spends directly with a resident from 3 to 4.1 per person each day, a level that nursing home representatives said would be difficult to meet.
Lawmakers and advocates say they want to see greater transparency on nursing home spending before signing off on a request for funding for the industry.
During the first year of the pandemic, the state announced more than $90 million for nursing homes to help deal with plunging occupancy, staffing costs and protective gear, among other expenses.