STAND. COM. REP. NO.  894

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1531

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1531, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to alleviate the shortage of nurses in Hawaii by appropriating funds to the University of Hawaii (UH) to:

     (1)  Hire more nursing faculty and support positions;

     (2)  Establish a Graduate Nursing Faculty Loan Program;

     (3)  Create a Nursing Student Scholarship Program;

     (4)  Increase facilities for nursing programs; and

     (5)  Continue operations of the Hawaii Quentin Burdick Rural Health Interdisciplinary Training Program.

     The Hawaii State Center for Nursing-UH, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, The Queen's Medical Center, Na Pu‘uwai Native Hawaiian Health Care System, Quentin Burdick Rural Health Interdisciplinary Training Program, UH Statewide Nursing Consortium, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  UH System, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and a concerned individual supported the intent of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing all appropriation figures to unspecified              amounts; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to                    facilitate further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1531, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1531, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair