Nursing homes must allow residents one unrestricted visitor
H.R. 5314 — Randy Susen Visitation Rights Act of 2025 · Filed by Glenn Grothman (R-WI) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 11, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires skilled nursing facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to allow at least one person designated by each resident to visit immediately and without restriction, subject only to the resident's right to revoke or deny that designation. The bill amends federal law to guarantee nursing home residents a protected visitation right to a chosen visitor.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a straightforward mandate requiring skilled nursing facilities to permit unrestricted visitation by a resident-designated person. It is a consumer protection measure, not a tax provision, appropriation, or deregulation.
What the text implies
- Facilities may face operational or liability questions about how to implement 'immediate access' during emergencies, security incidents, or end-of-life care—the bill does not address conflict resolution or exceptions.
- The phrase 'not subject to any other restriction or limitation' may create tension with existing facility policies on infection control, visitation hours, or resident privacy—enforcement mechanisms are not specified.
- Named after Randy Susen, suggesting a specific case or advocacy driver; the bill does not explain the legislative history or whether this addresses a documented gap in current law.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Nursing home residents—often elderly, isolated, or vulnerable—gain a legally enforceable right to designate and receive visits from a chosen person without facility interference. This protects against isolation, enables family/caregiver access, and strengthens resident autonomy and dignity.
Named in the bill
Medicare, Medicaid, skilled nursing facilities, Social Security Act Section 1819, Social Security Act Section 1919, Randy Susen
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 3 Republicans.
- Sep 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,266 characters) on Aug 18, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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