SB 8: RELATING TO JURY DUTY.

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 (APRNs) in the State have full practice authority and provide primary and specialist care to the elderly, disabled, and all of the people in the State.  The legislature also finds that the care provided by APRNs is comparable in outcomes to those of their physician colleagues.  With advances in legislation to improve access to care by APRNs, many have been able to establish freestanding practices under their own professional corporations similar to those of physicians.  According to section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of all health care professionals, only physicians and dentists are exempt from serving jury duty.  The legislature finds that removing APRNs from their daily practice to serve on a jury deprives their patients of needed health care and can also be a financial hardship to APRNs who owns their own practice and must pay for their overhead, whether or not they are on site at the practice.  The legislature also finds that a jury duty exemption does not preclude a person from jury duty service if they choose to serve.

     Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to allow 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 on December 31, 2050; provided that section 2 shall take effect on January 1, 2027; provided further that on January 1, 2032, this Act shall be repealed and section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall be reenacted in the form in which it read prior to the effective date of this Act.

Report Title:

Jury Duty; Advanced Practice Registered Nurses; Exemption

Description:

Beginning 1/1/2027, allows an advanced practice registered nurse to claim exemption from service as a juror.  Effective 12/31/2050.  Sunsets 1/1/2032.  (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 advance practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the State have full practice authority and provide primary and specialist care to the elderly, disabled, and all of the people in the State.  The legislature also finds that the care provided by APRNs is comparable in outcomes to those of their physician colleagues.  With advances in legislation to improve access to care by APRNs, many have been able to establish freestanding practices under their own professional corporations similar to those of physicians.  According to section 612-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of all healthcare professionals, only physicians and dentists are exempt from serving jury duty.  The legislature finds that removing an APRN from their daily practice to serve on a jury deprives their patients of needed healthcare and can also be a financial hardship to the APRN who owns their own practice and must pay for their overhead, whether or not they are on site at the practice.  The legislature also finds that a jury duty exemption does not preclude a person from jury duty service if they choose to serve.

     Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to allow advance 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; Advance Practice Registered Nurses; Exemption

Description:

Allows an advance practice registered nurse 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. 74

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 8

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 8 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 an advanced practice registered nurse to claim exemption from service as a juror.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Association of Professional Nurses, Optimum Health and Wellness Hawaii LLC, Hawaiʻi Provider Shortage Crisis Task Force, and eight individuals.

     Your Committee 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 other individuals needing health care services in the State.  Your Committee further finds that under existing law, the only health care professionals allowed to claim exemption from serving as a juror are physicians and dentists.  This measure allows advanced practice registered nurses to continue providing necessary health care services for their patients without the interruption of having to serve jury duty.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Delaying the implementation of the exemption until January 1, 2027, to allow the Judiciary to prepare jury duty exemption forms;

     (2)  Inserting a sunset date of January 1, 2032, to consider the effects of the exemption after five years;

     (3)  Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

     (4)  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. 8, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 8, 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,