CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 66-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2012

RE:    S.B. No. 2103

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2103, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require registered nurses using reasonable judgment to carry out the orders of a licensed physician assistant practicing with physician supervision and acting as an agent of the supervising physician; and

     (2)  Specify that if the nurse completes an accredited graduate-level education program to be recognized as an advanced practice registered nurse, the program must prepare the nurse for one of the four recognized advanced practice registered nurse roles instead of leading to a master's degree as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse practitioner.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that clarifying the scope of authority for physician assistants will relieve misunderstandings between hospital administrators, nurses, and other staff and facilitate the provision of better health care services. 

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Reverting back to the S.D. 2 version of this measure, which differs substantively by:

          (A)  Not amending the formal education requirements for recognition as an advanced practice registered nurse; and

          (B)  Changing the effective date to upon approval; and

     (2)  Inserting a repeal date of July 1, 2017.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2103, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2103, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Co-Chair	____________________________ JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair
____________________________ ROBERT N. HERKES, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair
	____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Co-Chair