STAND. COM. REP. NO. 672-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1547

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 H.B. No. 1547 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the John A. Burns School of Medicine to expand graduate medical education programs to the neighbor islands.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i, Hawaii Medical Association, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, The Queen's Health Systems, and three 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 shortages of health care providers in the State. In particular, the State's neighbor islands, which have been designated by the federal government as medically underserved areas, have been disproportionately impacted by shortages of physicians in all practice areas.

Your Committees further find that eighty percent of graduates of the John A. Burns School of Medicine who complete their medical school and residency in the State, also known as their graduate medical education, remain in Hawaii to practice. Additionally, medical residents who train on the neighbor islands are more likely to remain and subsequently practice on the neighbor islands. This measure appropriates funds to the John A. Burns School of Medicine to expand residency training opportunities on the neighbor islands, which will help acquaint graduate physicians with practicing medicine in rural settings and enlarge the physician presence in these areas.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount; and

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion.

Should the Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure further, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating $6,700,000 to expand graduate medical education programs to the neighbor islands.

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 H.B. No. 1547, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1547, 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