STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2656

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2388

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2388 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE JOHN A. BURNS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE SPECIAL FUND,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Permit monies in the John A. Burns school of medicine special fund to be used for loan repayment for certain health care professionals;

     (2)  Remove the cap on expenditures from the John A. Burns school of medicine special fund; and

     (3)  Make permanent the physician workforce assessment fee and related requirements for use of monies in the John A. Burns school of medicine special fund.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System, The Queen's Health Systems, Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Sex Abuse Treatment Center, Hawaii Medical Board, Bank of Hawaii, Hawaii State Rural Health Association, Lanai Community Health Center, and ten individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from one individual.

     Your Committees find that the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine's physician workforce assessment program has successfully identified the unmet need for physicians across the State and implemented efforts to recruit and retain health care providers.  A shortage of primary health care providers affects health care costs and threatens the health of Hawaii's residents, particularly in rural communities and on the neighbor islands.

     Your Committees further find that it is important to accept and disburse funds toward health care student loan repayment to encourage health care professionals to work in lower paying geographic areas and specialties such as primary care.  The rising cost of education for health care professionals deters many health care professionals from working in rural areas or primary care, which limits access to needed health care.  The Hawaii state loan repayment program gives primary health care providers an incentive to provide care at designated health professional shortage areas in Hawaii in order to receive assistance with repayment of educational loan debt.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2388 and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means,

________________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair

________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair