STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1632-08

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

 

RE:   S.B. No. 2146

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2146, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE CENTER FOR NURSING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to support the activities of the Hawaii State Center for Nursing (Center) in conducting research and implementing strategies to recruit and retain nurses.  This bill:

 

     (1)  Allows the Center to continue receiving funds by extending, from July 1, 2009, to July 1, 2014, the sunset date for the deposit of certain nursing fees into the Center for Nursing Special Fund;

 

     (2)  Requires two of the three representatives of the Hawaii Nurses' Association who sit on the advisory board of the Center to represent the professional component, and one representative to be a non-managerial staff nurse; and

 

     (3)  Requires the Center's advisory board to submit the following reports to the Legislature prior to the 2009 Regular Session:

 


 

          (A)  An interim report on the progress and findings of the five-year longitudinal study being conducted by the Center regarding the turnover of new graduate registered nurses and best practices in nurse retention; and

 

          (B)  A report on funding alternatives that will enable the Center to continue its operations and services.

 

     The University of Hawaii, Board of Nursing, the Center, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, The Queen's Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health, AONE Hawaii Chapter, Community Partnerships, Prime Care Services Hawaii, Inc., and several concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Hawaii Nurses Association and numerous concerned individuals opposed this bill.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage 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 S.B. No. 2146, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2146, S.D. 2, H.D. 1.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair