STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1206

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 729

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 729 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify the role of advanced practice registered nurses regarding emergency hospital admission and involuntary hospitalization of individuals.  

     Specifically, this measure authorizes advanced practice registered nurses to:

(1)  Perform an emergency examination of a patient brought to a psychiatric facility and determine if the patient should be hospitalized on an emergency basis or released;

(2)  Certify a patient's signs and symptoms for a petition for commitment to a psychiatric facility; and

(3)  Make conforming amendments to related provisions.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Nursing, the Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses, the Queen's Health Systems, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that this measure provides consistency to the amendments made by Act 232, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, by clarifying that advanced practice registered nurses are mental health professionals qualified to diagnose mental illness.  This measure also helps to decrease the costs of healthcare by expanding the class of qualified personnel available to assist with the commitment of patients to psychiatric facilities.

     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 S.B. No. 729 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________

ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair