Hawaii-2023-SCR112-Introduced

WHEREAS, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the registered nursing workforce is expected to grow by six percent over the next decade, from 3.1 million in 2021 to 3.3 million in 2031, an increase of 195,400 nurses; and

WHEREAS, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 203,200 openings nationwide each year through 2031 for registered nurses; and

WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, there are fifteen thousand seventy-two licensed registered nurses living and practicing in the State; and

WHEREAS, according to the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, there were approximately one thousand vacant registered nursing positions in Hawaii in 2022, and, according to the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, sixteen percent of registered nurses plan to retire in the next five years; and

WHEREAS, during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, hospitals, nursing facilities, and other health care practices faced nursing shortages, and those shortages continue to persist today; and

WHEREAS, shortages in the local nursing workforce require health care facilities to recruit traveling nurses, the employment of which is often costly to the State; and

WHEREAS, the State and local health care systems continue to invest in growing the local nursing and health care professional workforce through expanded educational opportunities, incentives, and other investments; and

WHEREAS, the Nurse Licensure Compact would enable:

(1) Nurses to practice in person or provide telenursing services to patients located across the country without needing to obtain additional licenses;

(2) Nurses to work across state borders and provide vital services in the event of a disaster; and

(3) Nurses who are spouses of active duty military personnel to seamlessly continue working without needing to obtain a new license each time they relocate, thus expanding the nursing workforce; and

WHEREAS, as of March 2023, thirty-nine jurisdictions have adopted the Nurse Licensure Compact; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Hawaii State Center for Nursing is requested to convene a working group to study the feasibility and impact of the State adopting the Nurse Licensure Compact; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii State Center for Nursing is requested to invite the following individuals to serve as members of the working group:

(1) The Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, or the Director's designee;

(2) A representative from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' Regulated Industries Complaints Office;

(3) A representative from the Board of Nursing;

(4) The Chairs of the Senate Standing Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Health and Human Services, or the Chairs' designees;

(5) The Chairs of the House Standing Committees on Consumer Protection and Commerce and Health and Homelessness, or the Chairs' designees;

(6) A representative from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii;

(7) A representative from the Hawaii Government Employees Association;

(8) A representative from the Hawaii Association of Health Plans; and

(9) A representative from the American Nurses Association – Hawaii Chapter; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study is requested to identify and assess the Nurse Licensure Compact's potential impacts relating to:

(1) The State's nursing workforce;

(2) Fiscal obligations of the State, including any fees or other costs;

(3) The potential for workforce migration into and out of the State, including job transfers, travel nursing, and telehealth nursing;

(4) The regulation of out-of-state nurses, including recouping costs arising from investigations of consumer complaints or other disciplinary actions;

(5) Disciplinary actions taken against a nurse with a multistate licensure privilege;

(6) Health care workforce research and planning efforts;

(7) Differences in licensure renewal and competency requirements between member states;

(8) Jurisdiction and regulatory oversight of nurses in the State; and

(9) Any other matters that the working group deems applicable to the evaluation of the State's adoption of the Nurse Licensure Compact; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Complaints and Enforcement Officer of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' Regulated Industries Complaints Office, Chairperson of the Board of Nursing, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, Chair of the House Standing Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, Chair of the House Standing Committee on Health and Homelessness, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, President of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, President of the Hawaii Association of Health Plans, and Executive Director of the American Nurses Association – Hawaii Chapter.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Hawaii State Center for Nursing; Nurse Licensure Compact; Working Group; Study; Report

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	112
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII