STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3485

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 112

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.R. No. 112 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE CENTER FOR NURSING TO CONDUCT A STUDY COMPILING RECOMMENDED SAFE PATIENT STAFFING RATIOS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Center for Nursing to conduct a study compiling recommended safe patient staffing ratios.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Nurses' Association, OPEIU Local 50; Hawaii Nurses of Healthcare Professionals; Hawaiʻi-American Nurses Association; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL‑CIO; and eleven individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Center for Nursing.

Your Committee finds that the issue of safe patient staffing ratios in hospitals has escalated into a growing public health concern in the State and other states across the nation. Patients are waiting too long for care, preventable complications are occurring, and experienced nurses are leaving the profession far too early due to overwhelming workloads and the resulting burnout. Your Committee further finds that creating supportive work environments with safe patient staffing levels is essential to attracting the next generation of nurses to the State's workforce and retaining the experienced nurses currently practicing in the State's health care facilities. This measure increases transparency in staffing standards to allow for better-informed decision-making by health care providers, policymakers, and the public.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying findings to state that establishing a central repository of safe staffing standards as adopted by other states or recommended by industry professionals, rather than transparency in staffing standards, will allow for better-informed decision-making by health care providers, policymakers, and the public;

(2) Clarifying that the Center for Nursing is requested to compile a comprehensive list of recommended safe patient staffing ratios for all nursing specialties and subspecialties across all health care settings and to maintain a repository for this information;

(3) Inserting language requesting the Center for Nursing to make the repository of safe patient staffing ratios publicly available no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027;

(4) Deleting language that would have requested the Center for Nursing to:

(A) Conduct a study to compile a comprehensive list of recommended safe patient staffing ratios for various hospital units and health care settings;

(B) Use the specific unit-by-unit staffing standards and ratio requirements outlined in H.B. No. 1865 (2026) and S.B. No. 2763 (2026) as the foundational framework for the study; and

(C) Submit the study, including any findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation, to the Legislature and Department of Health and publish the study in a publicly available online dashboard no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027;

(5) Amending its title accordingly; and

(6) 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 Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 112, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 112, S.D. 1.

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

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair