Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1369 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate moneys toward the Nursing Scholarship Program to assist with the growing demand for nurses in the State.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the State Health Planning and Development Agency, University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, Hawaii Government Employee Association, Hawaii Nurses' Association, American Organization of Nurse Executives, Kaiser Permanente, Queen's Medical Center and 25 of their nurses, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, 13 nursing students, and two private citizens. Testimony in opposition to the expending agency was submitted by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committees find that the current nursing shortage is severe and that it is having an impact on health care delivery. Furthermore, your Committees find that the recruitment and retention efforts of this Nursing Scholarship Program initiative provides many young women and men with an opportunity to pursue a nursing career which may not have been possible, but for this program.

Your Committees recognize that this program may require additional funds to go to the University of Hawaii to teach these additional students, however your Committees do not want to insert any moneys into this measure, but advises your Committee Ways and Means that the University of Hawaii is seeking an additional $800,000 for teachers, and the Nursing Scholarship Program is seeking $1.2 million.

Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes, by deleting the appropriation amount, and by changing the expending agency to the State Health Planning and Development Agency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1369, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1369, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.