STAND. COM. REP. NO.  53

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

 

RE:   H.B. No. 691

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 691 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHYSICIAN SHORTAGES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure access to health care in rural areas by establishing the Hawaii Rural Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program (Program) to provide student loan repayments to qualified physicians who practice in federally designated health professional shortage areas of the state.

 

     The Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawaii Medical Service Association, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, Hawaii Medical Association, and Hawaii Association for Justice, and a concerned individual supported this bill.  The Department of Budget and Finance opposed this measure.  The Department of Health submitted comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

(1)  Providing preference for participation in the Program for licensed physicians who have graduated from a school of medicine and have received Hawaii-based medical training;

 

(2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

 

(3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     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. 691, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 691, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Higher Education.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair