On February 14, 2008, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa and Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin introduced the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act of 2008 (S.2641), the first major national bill on nursing home care since the Nursing Home Reform Act was enacted in 1987. It would improve public information about staffing and quality, strengthen enforcement, and establish new ownership disclosure requirements. Although the bill is ambitious in scope, it seeks mostly modest changes that are long overdue. Some of its features are based on current California laws, such as permitting fines of up to $100,000 when a resident dies due to neglect. Other provisions seek changes CANHR has sought in California, such as requiring nursing homes to submit staffing information in a uniform format based on payroll data.

Click here for a copy of the bill (S.2641).

Click here for a section-by-section summary of the bill (S.2641).