STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1365-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2657

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness and Higher Education & Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 2657, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

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 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 on the neighbor islands and in medically underserved populations 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 with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Hawaii Medical Association, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, The Queen's Health Systems, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, and two individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committees find that many Hawaii residents are unable to obtain timely and appropriate health care due to a shortage of health care providers in the State, with residents of the neighbor islands disproportionately affected by shortages of physicians in all areas of practice. Your Committees further find that the John A. Burns School of Medicine has engaged in various strategies to increase the number of physicians in Hawaii, including the development of residency or fellowship rotations on neighbor islands and collaborating with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to train Hawaii-based residents using a separate federal pool of resources for support. This measure supports ongoing efforts to address the health care professional shortage in Hawaii by providing funding for additional graduate medical education and training programs.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness and Higher Education & Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2657, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2657, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness and Higher Education & Technology,

____________________________ GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair