STAND. COM. REP. NO. 254

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 22

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Economic Development and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 22 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAII HEALTH CORPS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish the Hawaii Health Corps program to address physician shortages in rural areas of the State by creating a loan repayment program and an incentive plan for the recruitment of qualified health care professionals to serve in areas with current shortages in health care professionals.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, East Hawaii Region; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai‘i; and Hawai‘i Primary Care Association.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one private citizen. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.   

Your Committees find that due to changes in demographics, changes in the delivery of health care services, and the escalating costs of education have resulted in severe shortages of qualified health care professionals.  Your Committees further find that there are surpluses of qualified health care professionals in some areas of the State and shortages in other parts of the State, particularly in the more rural areas.  Your Committees also find that this measure will create much needed incentives for qualified health care professionals to serve in certain areas within the State. 

     Additionally, your Committees would like to see the Department of Health and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism collaborate on the implementation of this measure in a way that allows the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, with administrative support, to focus on carrying out the loan repayment program.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion of this measure; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Economic Development and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 22, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 22, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Economic Development and Technology,

____________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

____________________________ JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair