STAND. COM. REP. NO. 91-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1594

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 1594 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CENTER FOR NURSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require all licensed nurses to respond to the Center for Nursing Workforce Supply Survey upon license renewal; and

(2) Increase the Center for Nursing fee.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii at Manoa Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing, Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing, Hawai‘i-American Nurses Association, The Queen's Health Systems, and three individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Nursing.

Your Committee finds that the Center for Nursing was established in 2003, to be funded through a biennial $40 fee assessed per individual nurse licensee. The fee has not been adjusted since that time and a modest increase is now needed to help the Center sustain the staffing needed to maintain its programs and meet its mandates. Additionally, your Committee finds that the Center for Nursing has faced challenges in securing adequate Nursing Workforce Supply Survey responses. Requiring responses to the survey will improve the Hawaii State Center for Nursing's ability to aggregate nursing workforce data and better inform policy makers, health care leaders, and others on the availability and characteristics of the nursing workforce in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting most of the purpose section;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1594, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1594, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair