STAND. COM. REP. NO. 145

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 1451

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 1451 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to certify whether a person is totally disabled under the income tax code;

(2) Add Advanced Practice Registered Nurses as primary providers in advance mental health care directives; and

(3) Authorize Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to make capacity determinations for purposes of advance mental health care directives.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Nursing, Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing, Hawai‘i Association of Professional Nurses, and The Queen's Health System. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Taxation and Community Advocacy Research Education Services.

Your Committee finds that Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are not able to make disability determinations for purposes of income tax laws and advance mental health care directives. Your Committee further finds that authorizing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to make disability determinations will improve access to health care services, expedite the processing of paperwork, and provide optimal care at the initial point of access for many of Hawaii's residents, particularly those in rural and medically underserved areas.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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 & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1451, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1451, 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 & Homelessness,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair