STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1772

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.C.R. No. 123

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 123, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A WORKING GROUP TO DETERMINE THE GAPS IN ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND THE POTENTIAL ROLE ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES MAY PLAY IN ADDRESSING THESE GAPS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the Board of Nursing and Hawaii Medical Board convene a working group to determine the gaps in access to health care and the potential role advanced practice registered nurses may play in addressing these gaps.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from AlohaCare and The Queen's Health Systems. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System, Board of Nursing, Hawaii Medical Board, and Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing.

Your Committees find that there is a physician shortage in the State that often leaves rural communities with challenges to health care access. Your Committees further find that the Legislature is considering legislation to expand the scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants; however, there is a need to clearly define the differences between physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants and what each profession's scope of practice in Hawaii should be. This measure requests the convening of a working group to determine how advanced practice registered nurses could increase access to health care throughout the State.

Your Committees recognize the testimonies of the Board of Nursing and Hawaii Medical Board, both of which expressed preference for the language contained in H.C.R. No. 124 but which was not set for hearing. Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its contents and inserting the contents of H.C.R. No. 124, H.D. 1, a substantially similar measure which requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct an analysis of advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants;

(2) Replacing the Legislative Reference Bureau with the University of Hawaii School of Nursing & Dentistry as the agency to conduct the analysis;

(3) Amending its title to reflect its amended purpose; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 123, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 123, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair