STAND. COM. REP. NO. 399-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2411

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 2411 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to rename the Hawaii Health Corps Program as the Hawaii Rural Health Care Provider Loan Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Governor. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine and Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Health Corps Program was established in 2012 with a focus on encouraging certain health care providers to serve in counties that are experiencing shortages of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, with a priority given to rural area counties. Your Committee further finds that the Hawaii Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program (HELP) was recently established to help alleviate the educational debt of medical and health care professionals who practice in Hawaii. Due to the expanded scope and purpose of HELP in comparison to the Hawaii Health Corps Program, it is necessary to clarify and rename the Hawaii Health Corps Program, as proposed in this measure, to better reflect its purpose.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

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

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2411, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2411, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair