In the 2016 Legislative Session, the Hawai‛i State Center for Nursing Advocated for criminal background checks for nurses, state utilization of the Nursys system, removing barriers to practice for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, and repealing of the Joint Formulary Advisory Committee. In addition, the Center followed bills that may affect nursing practice. A list of these bills and their summaries are included below.

Act Bill Title Description
2 SB805 RELATING TO HEALTH Removes the sunset provision from Act 255, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, relating to the definitions of “the practice of nursing as a licensed practical nurse” and “the practice of nursing as a registered nurse”.
8 HB2331 HD1 RELATING TO BOARD MEMBER TERMS FOR THE BOARD OF NURSING AND THE BOARD OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY. Amends the length of terms from three years to four years of the members of the Board of Nursing and the Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology
18 SB2862 RELATING TO NURSING. Allows the Board of Nursing to more fully participate in Nursys, a national database for nurse licensees by sharing license and disciplinary action information.
38 SB2675 SD1 HD2 RELATING TO LICENSING. Authorizes the Board of Dental Examiners, Hawaii Medical Board, Board of Nursing, and Board of Pharmacy to deny a license to an applicant or impose disciplinary action against a licensee who has been disciplined by another state or a federal agency. Prohibits a licensee from practicing until a final order of discipline is issued if the licensee has been prohibited from practicing in another state.
92  SB2861 SD2 HD1 CD1 RELATING TO THE JOINT FORMULARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. Repeals the Joint Formulary Advisory Committee established by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Allows the Board of Nursing to be the sole authority that determines the exclusionary formulary for qualified advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority.
97 HB1756 HD3 SD2 CD1 RELATING TO NURSING. Requires submittal of electronic fingerprints for criminal history record checks from nurse licensure applicants and nurse licensure renewal applicants. Authorizes the Board of Nursing to conduct investigations of applicants for licensure, renewal, and reactivation, request criminal history records of qualified applicants, and request criminal history records of persons issued licenses.
183 SB2672 SD1 HD1 CD1 RELATING TO ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES. Amends various statutes to clarify the role of advanced practice registered nurses with regards to their authority and participation in the health care system. Amends definitions in the statutes to conform with the duties and responsibilities of advanced practice registered nurses.