STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2890

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 167

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Higher Education and Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 167 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAI‘I STATE CENTER FOR NURSING TO EVALUATE THE NEED FOR AND RESOURCES REQUIRED TO ESTABLISH A CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR NURSES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Hawaii State Center for Nursing to evaluate the need for and resources required to establish a continuing education program for nurses.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, the Board of Nursing, Hawaii Pacific Health, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and three individuals.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that nursing is a rapidly evolving field in which continuing education could greatly assist nurses in remaining up to date on the latest advances in the practice and providing high quality care.

     Your Committees have received proposed amendments from a number of testifiers and have amended this measure to incorporate some of the amendments as follows:

     (1)  By requesting a representative of the state Board of Nursing to serve on the joint advisory committee;

     (2)  By extending the deadline by which the Hawaii State Center for Nursing is requested to submit a final report to the Legislature to provide the committee with more time to conduct the study and make recommendations relating to the establishment of a Hawaii Nursing Continuing Education Program;

     (3)  By adding a progress reporting and interim reporting requirement for the Hawaii State Center for Nursing to keep the Legislature abreast of progress on the study;

     (4)  By extending the date by which the joint advisory committee is to dissolve to allow the committee sufficient time to complete its study; and

     (5)  By making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 167, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 167, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Health,

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

____________________________ JILL TOKUDA, Chair