| R 434 |
| 2015 -- H 6364 Enacted 06/25/2015 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AND REVIEW RHODE ISLAND'S ONGOING PARTICIPATION IN THE NURSE LICENSURE COMPACT AND TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO STAFFING OF NURSES IN RHODE ISLAND'S HOSPITALS |
| Introduced By: Representative Robert E. Craven |
| Date Introduced: June 25, 2015 |
| RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created |
| consisting of sixteen (16) members: two (2) of whom shall be members of the Rhode Island |
| House of Representatives, who shall serve as co-chairs and shall be appointed by the Speaker of |
| the House; one of whom shall be a member of The Service Employees International Union |
| (SEIU), to be appointed by the Speaker; one of whom shall be the President of the Hospital |
| Association of Rhode Island, or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the United |
| Nurses and Allied Professionals (UNAP), or designee; one of whom shall be a representative of |
| Care New England - Women and Infants Hospital, to be appointed by the Speaker; one of whom |
| shall be the Director of the Department of Labor and Training, or designee; one of whom shall be |
| the Director of the Department of Health, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of |
| Lifespan, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of Stepping Up, or designee; one of |
| whom shall be a representative of Rhode Island College, to be appointed by the Speaker; one of |
| whom shall be a representative of the University of Rhode Island, to be appointed by the Speaker; |
| one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be a representative of the Community College of Rhode Island, to be |
| appointed by the Speaker; one of whom shall be the Chairperson of the State Board of Nurse |
| Licensure; and one of whom shall be a nurse representative of the Nurse Licensure Compact, to |
| be appointed by the Speaker of the House. |
| In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory |
| commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly |
| resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu |
| of a legislator, provided that the Majority Leader or the Minority Leader of the political party |
| which is entitled to the appointment, consents to the member of the general public. |
| The purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study and analysis of |
| the efficacy and status of Rhode Island’s participation in the Nurse Licensure Compact and to |
| make recommendations for possible alternatives to staffing for Rhode Island's nurses and |
| hospitals. The commission's review and recommendations shall include, but not be limited to: |
| (1) Analysis of the state's continued participation in the Compact and the effectiveness of |
| the Compact including data collection on the following: |
| Efforts by health care institutions to use local nurses; |
| The number of nurses used when using the Compact; and |
| The state of origin, jurisdiction of licensure, license expiration date(s), licensure |
| classification(s) and status(es), public emergency and final disciplinary actions, as |
| defined by contributing state authority, and status of multi licensure privileges, duration |
| in Rhode Island, compensation package, specialty area, and all other relevant information |
| on the nurses used; |
| (2) The potential creation of a program by the Department of Labor and training, in |
| collaboration with the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, to meet the flexible staffing needs |
| for nurses at Rhode Island 's health care institutions including, but not limited to, nurse residency |
| programs, reciprocity with other states, float pools, flex time, and/or per diems. |
| Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at |
| the call of the Speaker of the House and organize. |
| Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. |
| The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
| All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, |
| documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or |
| desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
| The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provide suitable quarters |
| for said commission; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the |
| House of Representatives no later than April 5, 2016, and said commission shall expire on June 5, |
| 2016. |
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| LC002958 |
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