STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1687

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 313

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 313, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to expand the use of funding received through the physician workforce assessment project to help the State recruit and retain qualified physicians.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Repeals the requirement that no less than fifty percent of the assessment fees deposited into the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund be used for purposes identified by the Hawaii Medical Education Council;

(2) Repeals the monetary cap on expenditures from the John A. Burns School of Medicine special fund; and

(3) Authorizes the John A. Burns School of Medicine to provide loan repayments to physicians who commit to working in medically underserved areas of the State and to provide scholarships for qualifying medical students.

Your Committees received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawaii State Rural Health Association, Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii Primary Care Association, The Queen's Health Systems, University of Hawaii, and Hawaii Medical Association.

Your Committees received written comments on this measure from the Hawaii Medical Board.

Your Committees find that the loan repayments and scholarships facilitated by this measure will provide incentives for future physicians to practice in Hawaii.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 313, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

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

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair