Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 116, S.D. 2, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a Nursing Scholars Program, administered by

(2) Enhance nursing instruction resources by requiring that

The Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Queen's Medical Center, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and University of Phoenix supported this bill. The University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene supported the intent of this measure. The Department of Taxation opposed this bill.

Your Committee finds that there is a shortage of qualified faculty to teach nursing, and this contributes to the state's serious shortage of nurses. Each semester the University of Hawaii School of Nursing turns away qualified applicants to its baccalaureate nursing program, and in the 2003-2004 academic year 240 applicants were denied admission because there was an insufficient number of faculty to assure the required faculty to student ratio for the program's clinical courses.

Your Committee also finds that nursing candidates whose second language is English face challenges when taking the written state Board of Nursing examination, and this further contributes to the shortage of nurses in Hawaii.

This measure has been amended by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 116, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 116, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.