HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	100
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the legislative reference bureau to conduct an analysis of advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants.

 

 

 

        WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that there is a physician shortage in the State and this often leaves rural communities with challenges to health care access; and

 

        WHEREAS, the Legislature is currently looking at different legislation to expand the scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants; and

 

        WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Center for Nursing, since 2009, the Legislature has passed twenty-two laws related to the scope of practice of advance practice registered nurses; and

 

        WHEREAS, the 2021 Legislature has or is considering five measures related to expanding the scope of practice for advance practice registered nurses in a variety of ways in Hawaii; and

 

        WHEREAS, it is challenging to expand the scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants without a holistic view of what their scope of practice could and should be in Hawaii; and

 

        WHEREAS, there is a need to make clear distinctions to understand the differences between physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants and what each profession's scope of practice in Hawaii should be; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to conduct an analysis of advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in its analysis, the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to include the following:

 

        (1)   The full scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants based on national professional guidelines;

 

        (2)   The distinctions between the educational training and scope of practice between physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants; and

 

        (3)   A comparative study of how Hawaii differs from other states regarding the scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations from the analysis, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2022; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:  

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses; Physician Assistants; Analysis; Legislative Reference Bureau