HB223 establishes a new funding mechanism to support the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii. The bill creates a special fund for the college and directs that it be used for pharmacist workforce assessment and planning, with an emphasis on recruitment and retention of pharmacists in rural and medically underserved areas. Permitted uses include maintaining workforce data, supporting loan repayment for pharmacists who work in underserved communities, and providing scholarships to qualifying pharmacy students.
To finance the fund, the bill creates a pharmacist workforce assessment fee that would be assessed on pharmacist licenses, wholesale prescription drug distributor licenses, and pharmacy permits. The fee would be collected by the Board of Pharmacy and transferred through the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs into the special fund on a quarterly basis. The bill also amends existing pharmacy licensing provisions to require payment of the new fee as part of biennial renewal and restoration of licenses.
The bill would amend Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 304A to create the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy special fund and chapter 461 to authorize the new assessment fee and integrate it into the licensing and renewal process. It also includes appropriations from the compliance resolution fund and from the new special fund to support implementation. The measure is structured as a targeted surcharge on the pharmacy profession and related licensees rather than a general tax or broad appropriation.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is supportive of expanding pharmacy workforce capacity and improving access to care, especially in remote and underserved areas. The findings emphasize pharmacists as accessible health care providers and frame the bill as a response to the state’s health care crisis. No committee transcripts or votes were provided, so there is no recorded public debate or formal vote history to indicate broader legislative support or opposition.
Potential points of contention are likely to center on the new fee burden placed on pharmacists, pharmacies, and wholesale drug distributors, as well as the use of licensing fees to fund a university program. The bill also gives the college control over scholarship and loan repayment programs and allows disclosure of pharmacist-specific information only with written consent, which may raise administrative or privacy questions. The effective date is listed as July 1, 3000, suggesting the measure may be a draft or placeholder version rather than a finalized enactment.
Impact
HB223 would add a new special fund in chapter 304A and a new pharmacist workforce assessment fee in chapter 461 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. It would require the Board of Pharmacy to collect the fee as part of license and permit issuance and renewal, and it would direct those revenues to the University of Hawaii for pharmacist workforce assessment, planning, recruitment, retention, loan repayment, and scholarships. The bill would therefore affect pharmacists, pharmacy permits, and wholesale prescription drug distributor licenses, while also creating a dedicated revenue stream for the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.
Sentiment
The bill is framed in strongly supportive terms, with legislative findings emphasizing the need to improve health care access and strengthen the pharmacist workforce, particularly in rural and medically underserved communities. The stated purpose is workforce planning and support rather than regulation or enforcement. Because no committee discussion or voting record was provided, there is no evidence of recorded opposition or amendment debate in the supplied materials.
Contention
The main likely point of contention is the new assessment fee imposed on licensed pharmacists, pharmacies, and wholesale distributors, which could be viewed as an added cost of doing business. Another possible issue is whether it is appropriate to route licensing-related revenue to a university-administered special fund and use it for loan repayment and scholarships. Privacy and data-management provisions may also be sensitive, since the bill contemplates maintaining detailed workforce information in a secure database and limits disclosure without written consent.