The Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules delayed a vote yesterday as to whether state nursing homes must have registered nurses provide at least 20 percent of nursing home care. Gov. Pat Quinn proposed the requirement as a change to the state's 2010 Nursing Home Reform Law. Quinn's office now anticipates a vote when the committee meets April 17. 

The governor and groups like AARP Illinois contend that care from registered nurses is proven to prevent hospitalizations. The 20 percent registered nurse requirement is expected to cost Illinois $122 million annually, as the cash-strapped state scrambles to cut Medicaid and social services.