Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2351 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a nursing loan program and appropriate funds to provide loans to nursing school candidates in the State.

Testimony in support of the measure was received from the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, the Hawaii Nurses' Association, and an advanced practice registered nurse. The Department of Health and the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene supported the intent of the measure.

Your Committee finds that the measure would offset tuition and related fee costs associated with attending nursing school for qualified resident applicants. If the applicant successfully completes nursing school and works in the State as a registered nurse, for each year the applicant does so, twenty per cent of the loan will be forgiven. If the applicant works for five years in this capacity, the entire loan amount will be forgiven.

The measure also requires the Department of Health to administer the program and provides for loan repayments in circumstances such as noncompletion of a nursing program and penalties for misuse or misappropriation of loan funds.

Your Committee has amended the measure by:

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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2351, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2351, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.