Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1110 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to address the serious shortage of nurses in Hawaii by re-establishing the Operation Nightingale program for two years to help nurses review for the state Board of Nursing examination. The bill also appropriates an unspecified amount of funds for the program.

Testimony in support of this bill was received from the University of Phoenix, Hawaii Campus. The Department of Health testified in opposition to the bill.

Your Committee finds that there is a critical need to increase the number of licensed nurses in Hawaii and that when a similar need was experienced earlier, the State implemented a pilot Operation Nightingale program to remedy the situation. Operation Nightingale was designed to improve test-taking skills of graduate nurses to enable them to successfully pass the required written examination and become licensed nurses. Your Committee believes that it is desirable to re-establish this program of tested effectiveness.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1110 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.