SB 2025: Jury Duty; Advanced Practice Registered Nurses; Physician Assistants; Exemption

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO JURY DUTY.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that advanced practice registered nurses in the State have full practice authority and provide primary and specialist care to the elderly, disabled, and all people in the State.  The legislature further finds that the care provided by advanced practice registered nurses is comparable in outcomes to the care provided by physicians.  With advances in legislation to improve access to advanced practice registered nurse care, many advanced practice registered nurses have been able to establish freestanding practices under their own professional corporations similar to those of physicians.  Currently, under section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of all health care professionals, only physicians and dentists are exempt from serving jury duty.  Removing an advanced practice registered nurse from the nurse's daily practice to serve on a jury deprives patients of needed health care services and can be a financial hardship for an advanced practice registered nurse who owns a practice and is responsible for overhead costs.  The legislature also finds that a jury duty exemption does not preclude a person from jury duty service if the person chooses to serve.

     Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to allow actively practicing advanced practice registered nurses to claim exemption from service as a juror.

     SECTION 2.  Section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§612-6  Exempt when.  A person may claim exemption from service as a juror if the person is:

     (1)  An elected official while the legislature is in session, or a judge of the United States, State, or county;

     (2)  An actively practicing physician, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant employed in a federally qualified health center, or dentist;

     (3)  A member of the armed forces or militia when on active service and deployed out-of-state;

     (4)  An active member of a police or fire department;

     (5)  A person who has served as a juror, either in a court of this State or the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, within one year preceding the time of filling out the juror qualification form;

     (6)  An active member of an emergency medical services agency;

     (7)  A person living more than seventy miles from the court for which jury service is required;

     (8)  A person eighty years of age or older; or

     (9)  A woman who is breastfeeding a child or expressing breast milk for a period of two years from the birth of the child.

     For purposes of this section, "emergency medical services agency" means any government agency, private agency, or company that provides ambulance services, emergency medical services, or disaster medical services."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Report Title:

Jury Duty; Advanced Practice Registered Nurses; Physician Assistants; Exemption

Description:

Allows actively practicing advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants employed in Federally Qualified Health Centers to claim exemption from service as a juror.  (SD1)

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to jury duty.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that advanced practice registered nurses in the State have full practice authority and provide primary and specialist care to the elderly, disabled, and all people in the State.  The legislature further finds that the care provided by advanced practice registered nurses is comparable in outcomes to the care provided by physicians.  With advances in legislation to improve access to advanced practice registered nurse care, many advanced practice registered nurses have been able to establish freestanding practices under their own professional corporations similar to those of physicians.  Currently, under section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of all healthcare professionals, only physicians and dentists are exempt from serving jury duty.  Removing an advanced practice registered nurse from the nurse's daily practice to serve on a jury deprives patients of needed health care services and can be a financial hardship for an advanced practice registered nurse who owns a practice and is responsible for overhead costs.  The legislature also finds that a jury duty exemption does not preclude a person from jury duty service if the person chooses to serve.

     Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to allow actively practicing advanced practice registered nurses to claim exemption from service as a juror.

     SECTION 2.  Section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§612-6  Exempt when.  A person may claim exemption from service as a juror if the person is:

     (1)  An elected official while the legislature is in session, or a judge of the United States, State, or county;

     (2)  An actively practicing physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or dentist;

     (3)  A member of the armed forces or militia when on active service and deployed out-of-state;

     (4)  An active member of a police or fire department;

     (5)  A person who has served as a juror, either in a court of this State or the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, within one year preceding the time of filling out the juror qualification form;

     (6)  An active member of an emergency medical services agency;

     (7)  A person living more than seventy miles from the court for which jury service is required;

     (8)  A person eighty years of age or older; or

     (9)  A woman who is breastfeeding a child or expressing breast milk for a period of two years from the birth of the child.

     For purposes of this section, "emergency medical services agency" means any government agency, private agency, or company that provides ambulance services, emergency medical services, or disaster medical services."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Report Title:

Jury Duty; Advanced Practice Registered Nurses; Exemption

Description:

Allows actively practicing advanced practice registered nurses to claim exemption from service as a juror.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2252

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:     S.B. No. 2025

        S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2025 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO JURY DUTY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow actively practicing advanced practice registered nurses to claim exemption from service as a juror.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Nursing; State Health Planning and Development Agency; Disability and Communication Access Board; Hawaiʻi–American Nurses Association; Ōhiʻa Midwifery & Wellness, LLC; Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives; and nineteen individuals.

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Judiciary.

     Your Committee finds that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the State have full practice authority and provide essential primary and specialty care, often to elderly, disabled, pregnant, and underserved populations, and many operate independent practices with ongoing patient and financial obligations.  Your Committee further finds that requiring these providers to step away from practice for jury service can disrupt access to care and impose significant hardship.  Your Committee additionally finds that an exemption from jury service remains voluntary for those who wish to serve.  This measure allows actively practicing APRNs to claim the same optional jury service exemption currently afforded to physicians and dentists to guarantee continuity of patient care and promote fairness in jury duty exemptions.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting language to include "physician assistant employed in a Federally Qualified Health Center" to the list of health care providers that may claim exemption from service as a juror; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2025, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2025, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,