CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 237-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2657

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

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. 2657, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING,"

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:

(1) Reestablish the Hawaii Medical Education Council Special Fund to enable the John A. Burns School of Medicine, in consultation with the Hawaii Education Council Special, to provide funding for medical education and training in Hawaii;

(2) Appropriate funds to the John A. Burns School of Medicine to expand medical education and training in Hawaii, with an emphasis on supporting residency training on the neighbor islands and in medically underserved areas throughout the State; and

(3) Appropriate funds to the John A. Burns School of Medicine to create further medical residency and training opportunities through a partnership between the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Your Committee on Conference finds that the State faces a severe shortage of health care providers. The ongoing shortage threatens individual health and may pose adverse effects to the State's health care costs. The neighbor islands have been disproportionately affected by shortages of physicians in all areas of practice. Your Committee on Conference finds that medical school graduates who complete their residency training in Hawaii are more likely to remain in Hawaii to practice. Similarly, medical residents who train on the neighbor islands are more likely to subsequently practice on the neighbor islands. Thus, providing funds for medical education is vital to address the physician shortage in Hawaii. Furthermore, there is strong collaboration between the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs health system currently invests in Hawaii-based residency positions using a separate federal pool of resources for support. This measure appropriates funds to the John A. Burns School of Medicine to expand medical education and training in Hawaii and to create further residency and training opportunities in partnership with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the provision that reestablishes the Hawaii Medical Education Council Special Fund;

(2) Inserting an appropriation amount of $2,700,000 for the creation of additional medical residencies and training opportunities for medical students in counties with populations of five hundred thousand or less;

(3) Inserting an appropriation amount of $4,000,000 for the expansion of medical residency and training opportunities in partnership with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and

(4) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2022.

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. 2657, 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. 2657, 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

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE Co-Chair	____________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE Chair
____________________________ GREGG TAKAYAMA Co-Chair	____________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM Co-Chair
____________________________ ADRIAN K. TAM Co-Chair	____________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI Co-Chair