Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2162 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to increase the number of nurses available to serve rural areas of the state by establishing the Rural Nursing Program (Program) to provide loans to nursing students, each year of which will be forgiven for each year the nurse works in a rural area.

The University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Hawaii State Center for Nursing, Hawaii Nurses' Association, and Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association supported this bill.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii has a shortage of registered professional nurses especially in rural areas of Oahu and the neighbor islands. It is important to respond to such a need rapidly and efficiently. In its attempt to find a solution to this healthcare challenge, your Committee has amended this bill by:

(B) $1 for the administration of the Program,

to promote further discussion.

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 H.B. No. 2162, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2162, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Higher Education.