Peoria Standard

Bill Hauter, House Rep. of Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois General Assembly said on Oct 3rd during a House committee hearing by the House Labor & Commerce, Health Care Licenses committee.

"I’ve been a physician for 26 years. I’ve been heavily involved in administration and solving the nursing crisis. I was stunned to hear that one of the participants said there was no nursing shortage in Illinois. I don’t think anyone on that panel would say there was no nursing shortage in Illinois. 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." - Bill Hauter

"Some of these nursing home workers have 20 patients. On third shift, it might be one CNA to one floor," said Denise Stiger, the union organizer for Teamsters Local 743. "So, that means she is doing the whole floor. Even though they're saying that the patients are asleep at night, they still have to be changed. They still have to be cleaned." - Denise Stiger

Hauter was elected in January 2023. He currently serves on 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.

Lawmakers held the four-hour-long hearing to hear testimony from various healthcare workers, including unions, nursing homes, hospitals, and other facilities to address what changes need to be done for the industry.