Nursing & Healthcare News
American Nurses Association Hill Day 2026
Q&A with ANA California CEO Marketa Houskova, RN, DNP, MAIA
Tell us about Hill Day and briefly describe your experience attending this year.
Hill Day is an annual lobby day hosted by the ANA in Washington, D.C. It’s an unmatched opportunity for nurses to use their voices to advocate and educate members of Congress on nursing priorities.
This year’s event was on June 25. More than 500 nurses from all over the country attended more than 320 meetings with lawmakers on matters like patient care and access to nursing education.
It’s really meaningful for nurses to step inside the Rayburn and Hart Buildings, which is where decisions impacting the nursing profession are being made.
What are the biggest misconception nurses have about this kind of legislative advocacy?
The biggest ones are “I don’t know the political systems” and “I don’t know how to talk to legislators.” What I tell nurses is this: First, you’re not there to debate political systems, you’re there to educate them on nursing issues — and we know those better than anyone!
Second, if you know how to talk to your neighbors, you know how to talk to legislators. Since YOU are the expert, you need to explain it to THEM. It is as simple as that.
Nurses are consistently ranked the most trusted professionals. Does that credibility carry weight with lawmakers?
One hundred percent YES! I will shout it from the rooftops! However, there are two things that have kept nurses from becoming key decision-makers on policy and politics.
As a profession, we have continually failed to capitalize on the immense social capital of nurses and turn it into policy advocacy and political power. Moreover, when the media talks about issues related to nursing, they still only cite nurses about 2 percent of the time!
Nurses use their voices every day. Any time we speak up for our patients, coworkers, and communities, that is advocacy. People trust us. This gives us unending opportunities to use our voices to make the world a better place.
What healthcare issues should California nurses be paying attention to this year?
There are two areas: the federal agenda, which is led by ANA, and the California state agenda, led by ANA\C.
On the federal level, key priorities include:
- Nursing Is a Professional Degree Act (S.4568/H.R.8659), which is a response to the U.S. Department of Education decision to exclude graduate nursing programs from the “professional” degrees eligible for higher loan limits.
- Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act (S.575/ H.R.1317), which focuses on removing barriers to care.
- Federal workplace violence protections for healthcare workers.
- Title VIII nursing workforce programs, supporting nursing education, workplace develop- ment, and retention.
On the state level, our priorities include:
AI in nursing, with a focus on nursing responsibility and access to mental healthcare; POLST form signature authority for APRNs; and protecting and safeguarding access to care. We’re also looking at the BRN Sunset Review. By law, the Legislature has to vote every 10 years to extend the board’s statutory authority.
Can you share an example of some past California legislation that has directly improved nurses’ working conditions?
A big one is patient staffing ratios, which other states still don’t have. Some other wins have included mandatory workplace violence plans for California hospitals; mandatory implicit bias training for healthcare workers; and finally creating path-ways to full practice authority for California CNMs and NPs.
In this Article: ANA, ANA\C, Legislation and Public Policy
