Bill > HCR29

This concurrent resolution urges the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB), a research agency that provides legislative support, to conduct a comprehensive study on the economic, social, and fiscal consequences of the Kapiolani Hospital nurses' strike and subsequent lockout that occurred in September 2024. The resolution provides context about the strike, noting that it was prompted by nurses' concerns about understaffing, over-scheduling, and patient care challenges, which led to a one-day strike followed by a twenty-two-day lockout affecting over six hundred nurses. The resolution requests that the LRB examine the total costs and impacts of this labor dispute on taxpayers, families, and healthcare safety, including the expenses associated with hiring traveling nurses (who are typically paid significantly more than staff nurses). The LRB is specifically urged to complete and publish its report no later than twenty days before the start of the 2026 legislative session, with the findings to be transmitted to the Legislature. The resolution reflects the broader context of healthcare workforce challenges, highlighting that 48% of the state's 14,545 licensed registered nurses work in hospital settings and are experiencing significant workplace stress.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HCR&billnumber=29&year=2025