CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 143

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 1404

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1404, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LOAN REPAYMENT FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS,"

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 appropriate funds to the Department of Health in coordination with the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for the Hawaii rural health care provider loan repayment program to provide loan repayment for health care professionals who agree to work in underserved areas; provided that the funds are matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by a private or another public source.

Your Committee on Conference finds that Hawaii is experiencing a shortage of health care professionals, which is most acute for those on neighbor islands and rural areas. High student loan payments together with a higher cost of living and other expenses in the State result in few health care professionals choosing to practice in underserved and rural communities in Hawaii. This measure provides funding for the loan repayment program administered through the John A. Burns School of Medicine, which offers loan repayment benefits for certain health care professionals in exchange for the commitment to work in medically underserved areas, to help reduce the health care provider shortages in those areas.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the name of the repayment program is the health care provider loan repayment program;

(2) Inserting an appropriation amount of $150,000 for fiscal year 2019-2020;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2019; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive 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. 1404, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1404, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ JUSTIN H. WOODSON Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Chair
____________________________ CEDRIC ASUEGA GATES Co-Chair	____________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM Co-Chair
	____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH Co-Chair