Should NJ hospitals be forced to add more nurses?

Hospitals and same-day surgery centers would be required to meet minimum nursing-to-patient requirements or face fines by the state Department of Health under a bill approved Thursday by a state Assembly committee. The Assembly Health and Senior Citizens Committee voted 7-4 to allow the legislation to move to the full Assembly for a vote. But even its committee allies said that more work needed to be done to allay concerns raised by nursing managers and hospital executives, who argued the law would cost hospitals millions of dollars and undermine the judgment of professionals on a daily basis.