STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2313

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2158

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor and Technology and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2158 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERINARIANS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Veterinarian Workforce Development Special Fund;

(2) Establish the Veterinarian Workforce Development Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program to support qualified veterinarians committed to or currently working in veterinary medicine in the State; and

(3) Authorize the Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine to enter into agreements, including memoranda of understanding, with the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, and accredited out‑of‑state schools to increase the availability of accredited veterinary programs and licensure opportunities to residents of the State.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, University of Hawaiʻi System, Hawaiian Humane Society, Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, and thirteen individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine and one individual.

Your Committees find that there is a critical need for licensed veterinarians in the State, due to various factors, including the absence of an in-state veterinary school, high educational and relocation costs and the unique geographical and environmental demands of practicing in Hawaii. According to the University of Hawaii System, the cost to establish a new doctor of veterinary medicine school in the State would be an estimated $50 to 70 million, plus potentially another $100 million to construct the required facilities. This measure provides a more cost‑effective approach by authorizing the Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine to establish and set the parameters for a veterinary workforce loan repayment and scholarship program to incentivize local students to pursue a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and return to the State to practice.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 1, 2077, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor and Technology and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2158, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2158, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor and Technology and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair

________________________________ BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair