October a Busy Month for Surgical Smoke Evacuation Bills

There is no “off-season” in state legislative advocacy. October proved that point well with three different states holding hearings on surgical smoke evacuation bills.

Oklahoma

On Wednesday, October 9, the Oklahoma House Public Health Committee heard testimony in support of surgical smoke evacuation legislation during an interim study session. The Oklahoma Nurses Association (ONA) requested the interim study session at the conclusion of the 2025 legislative session when the two surgical smoke evacuation bills failed to get hearings in their respective legislative bodies.

CAPTION: AORN members Brenda Ulmer, MN, RN, CNOR, FAORN, J.D. Buchert, M.Ed., MS, MSN(s), RN, CNOR, and Katelynn Vaughan, MN, RN, CNOR, FAORN, attended the hearing and educated committee members about the hazards of surgical smoke, shared personal stories of surgical smoke’s impact on their respective lives and health, and provided an electrosurgery demonstration highlighting the prevalence of surgical smoke during such a procedure. Their testimony and demonstration showed legislators the ease with which surgical smoke can be evacuated to protect OR staff and patient health and safety.

Advocates responded to several questions posed by the committee members about costs and availability of equipment, also conveying that surgical smoke evacuation is important to Oklahoma’s recruitment and retention of operating room nurses and staff. During the regular legislative session Oklahoma legislative committees do not take public testimony. ONA and AORN hope that the demonstration and information provided during the interim study session will be a catalyst for legislative success in 2026.

The full testimony video is available online.

Wisconsin

On Wednesday, October 22, SB 442 was heard in the Wisconsin Senate Health Committee. The bill, sponsored by Health Committee Chair, Senator Cabral-Guevara, was introduced on September 29, 2025. AORN members Stephanie Barman, BA, BSN, RN, CNOR and Jane Kusler-Jensen, BSN, RN, CNOR, MBA, FABC testified in support of surgical smoke evacuation policy, urging the committee to consider AORN’s request to amend the bill to strengthen the provisions to protect the health and safety of OR staff and patients.

AORN submitted written testimony to the committee and is working with lobbyists in the state to ensure that the strongest version of the bill possible moves through the legislative process. The committee voted in favor of the bill unanimously without taking up AORN’s amendment request at this time.

The full testimony video is available online.

Michigan

On Wednesday, October 22, the Michigan Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee heard testimony in favor of SB 443, a bill to ensure that harmful surgical smoke is evacuated from operating rooms in the state.

At the hearing, AORN members Ellie Kercher, RN, BSN, CNOR and Michelle Schaeffer, BSN, RN, CNOR, testified in support of the bill, sharing their personal stories of exposure to the hazards present in surgical smoke. Committee members also received a demonstration on electrosurgery which made clear the prevalence and volume of surgical smoke during these procedures and the simplicity of evacuating surgical smoke for the health and safety of the operating room team.

The committee voted in favor of SB 443 on October 29, and AORN expects the full Senate to vote on the bill on November 12.

The full testimony video is available online.