STAND. COM. REP. NO.  986

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

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 Health, 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 of this measure is to clarify the role of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) regarding emergency hospital admission and involuntary hospitalization by allowing a qualified APRN to:

     (1)  Perform an emergency examination;

     (2)  Direct that a patient be hospitalized on an emergency basis or cause the patient to be transferred to another psychiatric facility for emergency hospitalization; and

     (3)  Clarify the signs and symptoms of a patient for a petition for commitment to a psychiatric facility.

The Board of Nursing, The Queen's Health Systems, Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses, and two individuals testified in support of this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health 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 pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair