Bill
HCR 29
HCR 29 directs a focused LRB study on the economic and social impacts of the Kapiolani nurse strike/lockout, including taxpayer costs, with a 2026 report to the Legislature.
Status and timeline
- Introduced: November 15, 2024
- Passed both chambers (House and Senate) in April–May 2025; sent to Governor May 13, 2025; signed by Governor May 24, 2025.
- Classification: Concurrent resolution (nonbinding expression of the Legislature; no statutory change or appropriation).
Purpose and intent
- HCR 29 urges the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to conduct a focused study of the economic and social impacts of the September 2024 Kapiolani Medical Center nurses’ strike and subsequent lockout, and to report findings to the Legislature before the 2026 Regular Session. The resolution also recognizes and commends the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) on its 50th anniversary (the document contains both texts).
Key provisions
- Directs the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the economic and social impact of the Kapiolani Hospital strike and lockout, explicitly including costs to taxpayers, families, and public safety.
- Requires the LRB to publish and deliver its report to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2026.
- Orders that certified copies of the concurrent resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.
- Concurrently recognizes and commends the State Government Affairs Council (SGAC) for 50 years of service — praising its role in professional development, nonpartisan community building, and improving state government affairs — and requests a copy of the resolution be sent to SGAC.
Contextual facts (from the resolution)
- Hawaii had 14,545 licensed registered nurses at the time referenced; 48% work in hospital settings.
- The Kapiolani Medical Center lockout began Sept. 14, 2024, after a one‑day strike, and lasted 22 days; more than 600 nurses were locked out. Traveling nurses were brought in and earn roughly 10–15% more than permanent staff (and about twice as much per week in some reports).
- On Oct. 2, 2024, a new contract between the Hawaii Nurses Association and Kapiolani Medical Center was approved that limits patients per nurse and provides raises averaging 3.5% annually over four years.
Who is affected
- Primary subjects: nurses (union and nonunion), Kapiolani Medical Center administration, patients and families served by the hospital, and state taxpayers (to the extent public costs are implicated).
- Institutional: Legislative Reference Bureau (to conduct the study) and the Legislature (as recipient of the report).
- Broader impact: findings could inform future legislative or executive responses on hospital staffing, labor disputes, emergency staffing practices, and public-cost exposure from similar disruptions.
Practical effect
- The resolution does not appropriate funds or change law. Its practical result is a mandated study and an official legislative record of concern and interest that may inform policymaking, oversight, and potential future legislation based on the LRB’s findings.
Sponsors and related measures
- Multiple sponsors/coauthors listed (including Vanessa Summers, Carolyn Jackson, Vernon Smith, Alex Burton, and others).
- Related: HR 28 (companion).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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