STAND. COM. REP. NO. 832

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 43

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 43, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to implement statewide physician workforce assessment and planning.

     More specifically, this measure:

(1)  Creates the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund;

(2)  Directs moneys in the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund to be used to support the medical school's activities related to physician workforce assessment and planning;

(3)  Establishes the physician workforce assessment fee of $60 for license renewal, to be deposited into the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund;

(4)  Appropriates general funds to implement statewide physician workforce assessment and planning;

(5)  Appropriates out of the compliance resolution fund moneys to be deposited into the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund; and

(6)  Requires the John A. Burns School of Medicine to submit a report to the Legislature, State Health Planning and Development Agency, and the Hawaii Medical Board no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2011 and each odd-numbered year thereafter.

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure.  The comments may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that it is prudent to assess Hawaii's physician workforce on a continuous basis.  More than a third of Hawaii's physicians are at least fifty-five years old and can be expected to retire shortly.  Because Hawaii has the longest life expectancy in the nation, the State will soon be faced with increased demands for health care and a reduced population of physicians.  Your Committee believes that on-going assessments based on reliable physician workforce data will support proactive measures to prevent or improve the impact of physician shortages in Hawaii.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing the appropriations to an unspecified amount;

(2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2070, to encourage further discussion of this matter; and

(3)  Making technical amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

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

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair