State Senate President Thomas Birmingham has been a leader on nursing and health care issues. Birmingham has a strong record of fighting to preserve quality care and protect patient safety. As chair of Senate Ways and Means and as Senate President, Birmingham has championed issues important to RNs across Massachusetts.

As a labor attorney Birmingham has represented nurses at the bargaining table and that has provided him with a unique perspective on issues the MNA has brought before him. Birmingham has a long list of issues and efforts he has made in fighting for important gains in health care and nursing – As Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and as Senate President Tom Birmingham:

• Has been a leader in expanding access to health care for the uninsured. His efforts led to passage of important expansions including the CHIP program, senior pharmacy access and Medicaid expansion for the low-income uninsured.
• Led the fight on protecting patient rights by fighting for passage of a Patients' Bill of Rights and is the lead proponent of legislation that would allow consumers the right to sue their HMO's.
• Supported passage of the RN "Pin" Bill to identify "RN" badges in the hospital so that patients would know they had an RN caring for the not unlicensed personnel with less training, education and skill
• Included Whistleblower protection for RNs in the Senate budget 2 years ago - As RNs became increasingly critical of the ability to provide quality patient care, this new law protected them from speaking out about issues related to patient care
• Saw passage of Needlestick legislation - This new law called for mandatory "needle-less" needles to protect nurses and patients.
• Spearheaded new important guidelines on Hospital Finance Reporting in the Fiscal Year 2002 State Budget – This Senate initiative supported by the MNA will ensure timely and consistent reporting of hospital finances with DHCFP.
• Maintained state employee health insurance at 85/15 contribution rate for MNA Unit 7 Human Service RNs and Health Care Professionals - The state contributes 85% to state employee health insurance and the employees 15%. There has been pressure from the past 3 administrations to increase the rate to 75/25 which would cost a family upwards of $1,200 a year. The MNA represents 2,000 RNs in the state human services system so that is an important issue that the Senator has always been strong on.
• Included the Clara Barton legislation in last years budget before the fiscal crisis developed - This supply side educational incentive scholarship program would provide scholarship recruitment for RNs. It was put in last year's budget and funded it until the fiscal crunch hit.
• Supported the creation and full-funding of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program - The SANE program is a national leader in providing specially trained forensic specialist RNs in the cases of rape and sexual assault. The RNs have special training through SANE to do a forensic and special examination that has led the state's DA's to have almost a 100% conviction rate in cases where a SANE RN could do the exam and testify. The MNA was a leader, along with Jane Doe in creating the program and funding it.
• Has been a lead proponent of the Massachusetts Coalition for a Healthy Future's efforts to raise the tobacco tax to increase health coverage for the uninsured and stabilize our health care system.
• Has supported and led the fight on important public health programs such as the Hepatitis C program, AIDS education and prevention, and Medicaid coverage.
• Fought the closure of our state operated facilities in human services by including language in the Senate budgets as ways and means chair to protect them from closure - The MNA represents RNs and health care professionals that work in our state operated DMH and DMR facilities (and in the community settings as well). The SW&M budgets and senate budgets consistently included language protecting the facilities from closure without prior legislative approval.
• Supported and included union recognition and protection language in the legislature's transfer bill of Hale Hospital.
• Was one of the first state leaders talking about the need to raise new revenues in order to help offset the fiscal crisis and protect vital state programs in health care - out front in the fall on 2001 on this issue.
• Proudly walked the picket line at Brockton Hospital and worked with local and state leaders to move towards a resolution.