STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2220

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3130

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 3130 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NURSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to reduce the nursing shortage in the State by providing an additional means by which a student may qualify for licensure as a registered nurse.

     Specifically, this measure allows a master's degree candidate in a nursing program, who has completed the pre-licensure component of the program, to apply for a license by examination to practice as a registered nurse.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and two individuals.  The Board of Nursing submitted testimony in support of this measure with an amendment.

     Your Committee finds that by providing an additional avenue for licensure to practice as a registered nurse, the State's nursing shortage will be reduced.  Your Committee further finds that the Board of Nursing has existing statutory authority to adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and that this provision in the measure is redundant and therefore unnecessary.

     Your Committee amended this measure on the recommendation of the Board of Nursing by deleting the provision requiring rules to be adopted pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     Your Committee further amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3130, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3130, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair