Bill Sponsors
Bissaillon, Murray, McKenney, DiMario, and Famiglietti
Committee
Senate Health & Human Services
Summary
Select
This legislation creates a new legal classification for "healthcare worker platforms," which are digital apps or systems that allow healthcare workers to accept shifts at medical facilities. The bill explicitly states that these technology platforms are not to be classified as traditional "nursing service agencies" and are exempt from the existing laws that regulate those agencies. Instead, the bill mandates that the Department of Health must create a specific registration process and set of regulations for these platforms by June 1, 2027. These new requirements cannot be stricter than the rules currently applied to nursing service agencies.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Acknowledges the reality of modern technology in healthcare staffing, potentially creating a framework to monitor these platforms rather than letting them operate in a legal gray area.
- May help alleviate critical staffing shortages in hospitals and care facilities by making it easier for workers to connect with open shifts through modern technology.
- Mandates oversight by the Department of Health, ensuring that these corporate platforms must eventually register with the state rather than operating without any government knowledge.
Cons for Progressives
- Carves out a specific exemption for "gig economy" platforms from established nursing service agency regulations, potentially undermining labor standards and protections built into the traditional agency model.
- Limits the power of proper oversight by explicitly stating that future regulations for these tech platforms cannot exceed the requirements of existing agencies, potentially preventing the state from addressing unique risks posed by gig-work apps.
- Encourages the casualization of the healthcare workforce ("Uber-ization"), which often prioritizes corporate flexibility over worker stability, benefits, and long-term employment security.
Pros for Conservatives
- Promotes a free-market approach by removing regulatory hurdles for technology companies, allowing innovation to solve staffing inefficiencies without being bogged down by outdated laws.
- Protects businesses from government overreach by explicitly capping the severity of future regulations, ensuring they cannot be stricter than those for existing agencies.
- Encourages competition in the healthcare staffing market, which could potentially lower costs for healthcare facilities by providing alternatives to traditional staffing agencies.
Cons for Conservatives
- Expands the administrative state by mandating that the Department of Health create a new registration bureaucracy and promulgate new rules.
- Delegates legislative authority to unelected bureaucrats at the Department of Health to design the specifics of the regulations, rather than defining them in the statute.
- Creates a long period of regulatory uncertainty for businesses and the market by setting a deadline for rules as far out as 2027.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Healthcare workers (Nurses, CNAs)
- Healthcare worker platform companies
- Nursing service agencies
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities
- Department of Health
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
Amount unknown
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
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Regulatory
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Environmental Impact
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/16/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Health and Human Services
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled "HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: CHAPTER 106 HEALTHCARE WORKER PLATFORM ACT
23-106-1. Title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Healthcare Worker Platform Act."
23-106-2. Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings:
(a) “Healthcare worker platform" means any person, corporation, partnership, or association that operates or offers a platform. A “healthcare worker platform” is not considered a “nursing service agency” as defined in § 23-17.7.1-2.
(b) “Platform” means an electronic platform, system, or application through which healthcare workers can accept one or more shifts to perform healthcare related services at a healthcare facility.
23-106-3. Registration of healthcare worker platforms.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, a healthcare worker platform shall be excluded from the definition of a “nursing service agency” as defined by §§ 23-17.7.1-3, 23- 17.7.1-10, and 23-17.7.1-19.
(b) On or before June 1, 2027, the department of health shall promulgate rules and regulations that shall require the registration of each healthcare worker platform that operates or offers a platform within the state. The requirements for registration of each healthcare worker platform shall not exceed the requirements of §§ 23-17.7.1-3, 23-17.7.1-10, and 23-17.7.1-19.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
23-106-1. Title.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Healthcare Worker Platform Act."
23-106-2. Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings:
(a) “Healthcare worker platform" means any person, corporation, partnership, or association that operates or offers a platform. A “healthcare worker platform” is not considered a “nursing service agency” as defined in § 23-17.7.1-2.
(b) “Platform” means an electronic platform, system, or application through which healthcare workers can accept one or more shifts to perform healthcare related services at a healthcare facility.
23-106-3. Registration of healthcare worker platforms.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, a healthcare worker platform shall be excluded from the definition of a “nursing service agency” as defined by §§ 23-17.7.1-3, 23- 17.7.1-10, and 23-17.7.1-19.
(b) On or before June 1, 2027, the department of health shall promulgate rules and regulations that shall require the registration of each healthcare worker platform that operates or offers a platform within the state. The requirements for registration of each healthcare worker platform shall not exceed the requirements of §§ 23-17.7.1-3, 23-17.7.1-10, and 23-17.7.1-19.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.