STAND. COM. REP. 465
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: H.B. No. 167
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 167 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NURSING EDUCATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to encourage men and women to enter the nursing profession by creating the Nursing Education Loan Program (Program) as a pilot program to provide loans to nursing students who enroll in an approved course of study at a nursing school in Hawaii.
The University of Hawaii (UH) School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and Hawaii Nurses Association submitted testimony in support of this bill.
Your Committee finds there is a serious nursing shortage that affects patient care and nurse morale in the State. This bill will aid both in recruiting nursing students and retaining nurses in Hawaii.
Your Committee has amended this bill by deleting its contents and inserting provisions that:
(1) Establish the Program and the Nursing Education Loan Program Special Fund (Special Fund) to be administered by UH to provide loans to nursing education students in state-approved nursing education programs;
(2) Specify that loans under the Program shall bear interest at five percent simple interest;
(3) Allow UH to use up to five percent of the moneys in the Special Fund to administer the Special Fund;
(4) Require one tenth of the loan amount plus interest to be forgiven for the first five years, and the remaining amount of the loan plus interest to be forgiven following the sixth year, that a loan recipient works as a nurse in Hawaii; and
(5) Appropriate moneys into the Special Fund.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 167, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 167, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,
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____________________________ K. MARK TAKAI, Chair |
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