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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
35 |
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TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING COLLABORATION AMONG VARIOUS STATE AGENCIES TO IDENTIFY BARRIERS RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSING TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE NURSES' EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE STATE.
WHEREAS, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act marks the undertaking of significant health care reform throughout the country; and
WHEREAS, reform efforts that increase access to care, provide health care to the uninsured, and close gaps in health inequalities will depend on a stable and enduring workforce that can provide health care services across many settings; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, a report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation proposed a series of recommendations to advance and strengthen the United States health care system during this period of change; and
WHEREAS, according to the report, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training, and scope of practice barriers to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses should be removed; and
WHEREAS, this body is dedicated to addressing the needs and interests of the people of Hawaii, including ensuring that quality health care is easily accessible to consumers throughout the State; and
WHEREAS, this body recognizes that Hawaii's physician-primary care provider shortage has increased the need for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses who can provide primary health care; and
WHEREAS, this body also recognizes that national
data supports the fact that Advanced Practice Registered Nurses can immediately
increase access to quality, cost effective care if restrictions to their
ability to practice are removed; and
WHEREAS, in recent years, the Legislature has passed legislation requiring
insurers to recognize Advanced Practice Registered Nurses as primary care
providers and permitting Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to practice within
the full scope of their practice; and
WHEREAS, this body finds that despite passage of these barrier-breaking Acts, the provisions of these Acts have not been fully implemented by the responsible executive departments of the State; and
WHEREAS, simultaneous collaboration among state agencies is needed to align and modernize their applicable state statutes and administrative rules with recent legislation; and
WHEREAS, these obsolete statutes will continue to negatively impact Hawaii consumers until state agencies align and modernize their statutes and rules for the benefit of the people of Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, the leadership and recommendations of the Department of the Attorney General and the Legislative Reference Bureau will be needed due to the scope of the required revisions; and
WHEREAS, there is an immediate need to ensure that the State has a stable and enduring Advanced Practice Registered Nurse workforce that can provide seamless, quality care in response to federal health care reform, including in medically underserved rural areas; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of
the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013,
that state agencies including but not limited to the Department of Health,
Department of Human Services, Department of Public Safety, Department of
Commerce and Consumer Affairs, State Board of Nursing, and Disability and
Communication Access Board are requested to identify barriers to the practice
of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses to the full extent of the nurses'
education and training in the statutes and administrative rules specific to
their respective departments; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state agencies are further requested to
enlist the assistance of the Department of the Attorney General in identifying
barriers and proposing amendments to remove barriers in their respective
statutes and administrative rules; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state agencies and the Department of the Attorney General are requested to gather their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, by September 1, 2013; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of the Attorney General is requested to transmit a draft report of the agencies' findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislative Reference Bureau and the Governor no later than November 1, 2013; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to submit a final report of the agencies' findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2014; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Attorney General, Acting Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, Director of Public Safety, Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, Executive Director of the Disability and Communication Access Board, Executive Director of the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, and Chairperson of the State Board of Nursing.
Hawaii State Center for Nursing; Legislative Reference Bureau; Attorney General; Board of Nursing