South Central Reporter

Bill Hauter, House Rep. of Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois General Assembly, expressed his opposition to state-mandated nursing ratios during a House committee hearing on Oct 3rd. The hearing, conducted by the House Labor & Commerce, Health Care Licenses committee, aimed to gather input from healthcare workers, unions, nursing homes, hospitals, and other facilities to address the challenges faced by the industry.

During his testimony, Hauter, who has been a physician for 26 years and has extensive experience in administration and solving the nursing crisis, highlighted the need for appropriate and flexible staffing to address the nursing shortage in Illinois. He disagreed with the proposed solution of state-mandated nursing ratios and emphasized the importance of acuity matching to ensure proper staffing levels.

Hauter stated, "We all agree on the problem. We all know what the problem is: there's not enough staff. We just disagree — and I couldn't disagree more on the solution — the solution is not state-mandated nursing ratios. We need appropriate staffing. We need flexible staffing. We need acuity matching." He urged the committee members not to implement state-mandated nursing ratios as a solution to the problem.

Denise Stiger, the union organizer for Teamsters Local 743, also testified during the hearing and shed light on the challenging working conditions faced by nursing home workers. Stiger shared that some nursing home workers are responsible for up to 20 patients, and on the third shift, there might only be one certified nursing assistant (CNA) for an entire floor. Despite patients being asleep at night, the CNAs still have to provide care, including changing and cleaning the patients.

It is worth noting that Bill Hauter was elected in January 2023 and currently serves on several committees, including the Health Care Availability & Access Committee, Health Care Licenses Committee, Insurance Committee, Mental Health & Addiction Committee, Prescription Drug Affordability Committee, and the Public Health Committee. He represents the 87th district.

The committee hearing served as a platform for various stakeholders in the healthcare industry to voice their concerns and propose solutions to address the nursing shortage and improve working conditions for healthcare workers in Illinois.