STAND. COM. REP. NO.  216

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 1317

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1317 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RURAL PHYSICIANS TAX CREDIT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to address the lack of qualified physicians in rural communities of the state by providing a tax credit for a percentage of medical malpractice insurance premium costs to qualified physicians who practice medicine in rural areas.

     The Hawaii Association for Justice, Hawaii Medical Association, Hawaii Association of Health Plans, and Hawaii Medical Service Association testified in support of this bill.  A concerned individual provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1317, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1317, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair