Dan Ring, Springfield Republican, July 17, 2008 Boston - The Massachusetts Senate today defeated a plan for the state this year to mandate minimum staffing levels for hospital nurses. The Senate voted 23-13 to approve a "patient safety" bill that is sharply different from a bill approved in the state House of Representatives. Unlike the House bill, the Senate bill does not order the state to set patient-to-nurse ratios, a provision sought by many registered nurses. David J. Schildmeier, a spokesman for the 23,000-member Massachusetts Nurses Association, denounced the Senate bill. ... State