STAND. COM. REP. NO.  502-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2333

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 2333 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NURSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow of the Board of Nursing to share nurse license information with the Nursys coordinated nurse licensure information system.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Board of Nursing, Hawaii State Center for Nursing at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Pacific Health, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that Nursys is the only national verification database for nurse licensure, discipline, and practice privileges for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.  Boards of nursing in participating states may utilize Nursys to verify a nurse's licensure details, enter and review disciplinary actions, enhance communication between other participating boards, and retrieve disciplinary and other reports.  Your Committee finds that Hawaii is one of only four states that does not fully participate in Nursys.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will allow Hawaii's Board of Nursing to fully participate in Nursys by sharing license information so that Hawaii may also be notified in a timely manner of disciplinary actions taken in other states against an applicant for a nursing license or a current licensee.  Your Committee further finds that Hawaii licensees endorsing to another state will be able to streamline the licensure process by ordering a verification through Nursys.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2333 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair