STAND. COM. REP. NO. 66

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 714

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 714 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to support educational programs that expand the State's health care workforce.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Department of Education; Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Corporate Board; University of Hawai‘i System; Hawai‘i State Council on Developmental Disabilities; Hawai‘i Pacific Health; Hawai‘i Primary Care Association; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; Liberty Dialysis-Hawaii; The Queen's Health Systems; and Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that as the State's population ages, there is an increased demand for workers in all areas of the health care workforce. Your Committee further finds that workforce development programs, such as public high school health care certificate programs and the certified nurse assistant to licensed practical nurse glidepath program, are crucial programs that aim to strengthen the State's health care system by preparing new health care workers to enter the workforce and supporting the career advancement of existing workers. This measure supports the work of these programs by appropriating funds to continue ongoing activities and allow the programs to scale up to meet the increasing health care needs of the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount, to be expended by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, rather than the Department of Education and University of Hawai‘i;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $1,450,000.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 714, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 714, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Higher Education and Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair