STAND. COM. REP. 2730

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2948

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2948, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to statutorily establish the Public Health Nursing Services Program and prescribe its scope of services.

Specifically, this bill establishes the Public Health Nursing Services Program within the Department of Health and sets forth the roles and functions of the program relating to the delivery of direct clinical nursing services.

Your Committee finds that public health nurses deliver an array of health services including the prevention of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, immediate response to and mobilization of resources during epidemics and catastrophic disasters, health services in public schools, and care coordination services to the most vulnerable populations. Accordingly, your Committee finds that the Public Health Nursing Services Program provides an invaluable service to the residents of the State and should be formally established in law.

 

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050 to facilitate further discussion on the measure;

(2) Clarifying that collaborative services with the Department of Education are provided for public school students, as opposed to all students in the State; and

(3) Making several technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2948, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2948, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair