CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 149

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2009

RE:    S.B. No. 43

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 43, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Establish the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund to support physician workforce assessment and planning;

     (2)  Assess a fee upon renewal of physician and osteopathic physician licenses, with proceeds to be deposited to the special fund;

     (3)  Require the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to disburse on a quarterly basis from the compliance resolution fund to the credit of the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund all moneys collected from the fee;

     (4)  Require recurring physician workforce assessments reports by the John A. Burns School of Medicine; and

     (5)  Appropriate unspecified moneys from the general fund and the compliance resolution fund to the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that assessing Hawaii's physician workforce on a continual basis will support proactive measures to prevent or ameliorate the impact of physician shortages in Hawaii.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Limiting expenditures from the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund to no more than $150,000 annually;

     (2)  Assessing a $60 fee upon renewal of physician and osteopathic physician licenses;

     (3)  Deleting the general fund appropriation;

     (4)  Appropriating $5,000 from the compliance resolution fund to the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund, to be reimbursed by June 30, 2010;

     (5)  Making the effective date July 1, 2009; and

     (6)  Making technical amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 43, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 43, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Co-Chair	____________________________ JILL TOKUDA, Chair
____________________________ JERRY L. CHANG, Co-Chair	____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Co-Chair
____________________________ ROBERT N. HERKES, Co-Chair	____________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Co-Chair
____________________________ SCOTT NISHIMOTO, Co-Chair