Lisa Henderson | Oppose HB1179

I am writing to express LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire’s opposition to HB 1179. LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire maintains a majority membership of not-for-profit providers of housing and long-term care for older adults. Our association represents 25 residential communities in New Hampshire, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities and continuing care retirement communities. LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire members are an integral part of the state’s aging services infrastructure, addressing the needs of our rapidly aging society. HB 1179 seeks to impose staffing standards higher than those already rejected at the federal level. An interim final rule repealing the nursing home minimum staffing standards was released to the Federal Register on December 2, 2025. This rule, effective 60 days from the date of publication, repeals parts of a rule finalized in April 2024 that required nursing homes to provide a Registered Nurse (RN) on site, available to provide services 24-hours per day, 7 days per week and requirements for specific nurse staffing ratios of 3.48 hours per resident, per day of total nurse staffing with at least 2.45 hours per resident, per day of nurse aide staffing and 0.55 hours per resident, per day of RN staffing. These "one size fits all" staffing requirements were initially challenged in court. Then Congress included a 9-year moratorium on the rule in HR 1, resulting in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) submitting the interim final rule to repeal the staffing standards. This change of course was brought about by an outcry from nursing home providers across the country who believe in staffing to resident needs rather than being given a prescriptive formula to do so. Further, with workforce shortages around the country, CMS had been tone deaf to the utter infeasibility of meeting such standards. Our existing regulations in New Hampshire require sufficient nursing staff with the appropriate competencies and skills sets to assure resident safety and attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident. If the survey process determines this not to be the case, penalties are assessed. Thus this bill is a solution in search of a problem. Rather than impose arbitrary staffing levels, New Hampshire needs to focus on building and sustaining the long-term care workforce by funding recruitment, training, and retention initiatives, addressing reimbursement shortfalls, and creating pathways for new caregivers to enter the field. I urge you to oppose HB 1179. Lisa Henderson Executive Director LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire www.leadingagemenh.org