Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §2131, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:

1-A.__Verifying certified nursing assistant eligibility.__A health care institution, facility or organization, including a temporary nurse agency employing a certified nursing assistant, shall, before hiring a certified nursing assistant, verify that the certified nursing assistant is listed on the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants established under section 1812-G with no annotations to prohibit the hiring of that individual according to state and federal regulations.

Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §2131, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 579, §4, is amended to read:

4. Penalty. Any person who operates a temporary nurse agency without registering or who fails to verify the inclusion of a certified nursing assistant on the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants before hiring that certified nursing assistant pursuant to subsection 1-A commits a civil violation for which a forfeiture of $100 may be adjudged. Each day constitutes a separate violation.

SUMMARY

This bill requires a temporary nurse agency to verify the inclusion of a certified nursing assistant on the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants before hiring that certified nursing assistant.