Bill Summary for Bill Number HB06-1269

Date: 02/22/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB06-1269

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Adopt L.001 (Attachment A). The motion passed wit Adopt L.002 (Attachment B). The motion passed wit Refer the bill, as amended, to the Committee of th	Pass Without Objection Pass Without Objection PASS

09:55 AM -- House Bill 06-1269

Representative Cloer, sponsor, presented the bill creating a nursing faculty fellowship program. He described the proposed program and stated it will allow nursing schools to receive grant moneys to support faculty positions. He distributed and discussed L.001 and an accompanying fiscal memo (Attachment A). He answered questions about the availability of hospital internships for nursing students.

The following persons testified.

10:02 AM -- Paula Stearns, Colorado Nurses Association, discussed Colorado's nursing shortage. She stated the shortage is currently 11 percent and the average age of nursing faculty is over age 50. Nursing school enrollment increases in recent years have been over 20 percent. As a result, nursing faculty is overextended. She answered questions about waiting lists for school admittance.

10:06 AM -- Carol Schoffstall, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, spoke in support of the bill. She stated the bill will improve patient safety and the nursing shortage. She stated her program currently has a two-year waiting list for student admittance. She described the nursing shortage as a national problem.

10:10 AM -- Mary Ann Wermers, Pikes Peak College, Colorado Springs, spoke in support of the bill. She described the turnover rates and aging of her faculty. She stated her school has a two- to three-year waiting list. Ms. Schoffstall answered questions about differential tuition rates and "brain drain" (the loss of faculty to more lucrative positions outside education). She and Ms. Wermers also discussed nursing rotations for rural area students.

10:19 AM -- Bret Lyman, University of Northern Colorado, discussed problems associated with faculty shortages, including the turning away of nursing program applicants. He described salary differences among nursing faculty and nurses in non-faculty positions.

10:21 AM

Representative Cloer made concluding remarks. He stated Coloradans' need for health care is growing. House Bill 1269 will help increase faculty salaries and draw more candidates to Colorado. Representative Cloer described L.001. Amendment L.002 was distributed to members (Attachment B).


BILL:	HB06-1269
TIME:	10:24:58 AM
MOVED:	Cloer
MOTION:	Adopt L.001 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Stafford
		VOTE
	Berens
	Cloer
	Green
	Kerr
	Lundberg
	McGihon
	Riesberg
	Soper
	Stafford
	Sullivan
	Weissmann
	Frangas
	Boyd
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB06-1269
TIME:	10:25:21 AM
MOVED:	Weissmann
MOTION:	Adopt L.002 (Attachment B). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Boyd
		VOTE
	Berens
	Cloer
	Green
	Kerr
	Lundberg
	McGihon
	Riesberg
	Soper
	Stafford
	Sullivan
	Weissmann
	Frangas
	Boyd
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB06-1269
TIME:	10:26:47 AM
MOVED:	Cloer
MOTION:	Refer the bill, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed 13-0.
SECONDED:	Weissmann
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Cloer	Yes
	Green	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Lundberg	Yes
	McGihon	Yes
	Riesberg	Yes
	Soper	Yes
	Stafford	Yes
	Sullivan	Yes
	Weissmann	Yes
	Frangas	Yes
	Boyd	Yes
Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS