STAND. COM. REP. NO. 844

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 619

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 619, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend provisions concerning fitness to proceed examinations in criminal proceedings to specify circumstances in which qualified advanced practice registered nurses or advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority who hold an accredited national certification in an advanced practice registered nurse psychiatric specialization may conduct the examination.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Association of Professional Nurses, The Queen's Health Systems, Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing, Hawai‘i – American Nurses Association, and three individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Health, Hawai‘i Psychological Association, and five individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Nursing.

Your Committee finds that advanced practice registered nurses provide a wide variety of health care services to people across the State. Existing law requires each hospital within the State to allow advanced practice registered nurses to practice at the hospital within the full scope of their authorized practice, including practice as primary care providers. This measure provides courts with greater flexibility by allowing qualified advanced practice registered nurses or advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority who hold an accredited national certification in an advanced practice registered nurse psychiatric specialization to conduct fitness to proceed evaluations in criminal proceedings.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 619, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 619, S.D. 2.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair