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2007 SESSION

074448264
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 631
Offered January 10, 2007
Prefiled January 8, 2007
Requesting the Board of Nursing to study pay parity for licensed practical nurses and nursing aides. Report.
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Patron-- Carrico
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, licensed practical nurses (LPNs) perform an important service by providing basic bedside care to patients, working with doctors and other health professionals to assess patients' care needs and to develop care plans, and supervising the care provided by nursing aides; and

WHEREAS, LPNs fill key roles in hospitals, nursing care facilities, physician's offices, home health care services, employment services, community care facilities for the elderly, public and private educational services, outpatient care centers, and federal, state, and local government agencies; and

WHEREAS nursing aides afford vital assistance in the delivery of health and long-term care services, providing care required by sick, injured, and impaired individuals in hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, doctor's offices, or the patient's own home; and

WHEREAS the United States Bureau of Labor projects that both LPNs and nursing aides will be among the occupations having the largest and fastest job growth in the nation in the next 10 years; and

WHEREAS, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average pay of LPNs in Virginia is 10 percent less than the national average pay for LPNs and the average pay of nursing aides is 10 percent less than the national average pay for nursing aides; and

WHEREAS, it is critical to ensure the competitiveness of Virginia's job market to guarantee the availability of a sufficient number of LPNs and nursing aides to meet the growing demand; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Board of Nursing be requested to study pay parity for licensed practical nurses and nursing aides.

In conducting its study, the Board of Nursing shall (i) study pay rates for LPNs, nursing aides, and other nursing staff in other states, (ii) analyze pay scales for LPNs, nursing aides, and other nursing staff in Virginia, (iii) identify factors affecting pay rates in Virginia, and (iv) identify steps that can be taken to ensure that Virginia's rates are competitive with rates throughout the nation, in order to ensure that Virginia is an attractive environment to LPNs and nursing aides seeking to establish careers.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Board of Nursing for this study, upon request.

The Board of Nursing shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2007, and for the second year by November 30, 2008, and the Board of Nursing shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document for each year. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.