Hawaii House Bill HR163

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/16/26
• Refer: 3/18/26
• Refer: 3/30/26
• Report Pass: 4/9/26
• Passed: 4/9/26

Caption

Urging Maui Health To Collaborate With Stakeholders To Establish A Full-time Medical Residency Program On The Island Of Maui.

Summary

H.R. 163 is a House Resolution urging Maui Health to work with the Hawaii Rural Health Transformation Plan administrators, the John A. Burns School of Medicine, and other local stakeholders to establish a full-time medical residency program on Maui. The resolution frames the proposal as a response to Hawaii’s physician shortage, with particular emphasis on Maui County’s severe deficits in primary care, geriatrics, and other specialties, and the added strain caused by the 2023 Maui wildfires. The resolution also directs collaborators to pursue funding from the newly awarded federal Rural Health Transformation Program, along with other possible sources such as state appropriations, federal grants, philanthropic donations, and private partnerships. It asks that representatives from Maui’s federally qualified health centers, including Hana Health and Malama I Ke Ola Health Center, be included in the effort, and it requests a report to the Legislature by late 2027 on findings, recommendations, and funding status.

Impact

This measure does not amend state law or create a regulatory mandate; it is a nonbinding resolution expressing legislative intent and urging action by Maui Health and related partners. Its practical effect is to encourage coordination around workforce development and medical education infrastructure on Maui, and to connect that effort to the state’s Rural Health Transformation Plan and related funding streams. The resolution could influence future appropriations, grant applications, and health workforce planning, but it does not itself appropriate money or establish the residency program.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of creating a Maui-based residency program. The resolution presents the proposal as an urgent public health response to documented physician shortages and the island’s post-wildfire recovery needs, and it highlights the success of similar residency efforts elsewhere in Hawaii. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no recorded opposition or amendment debate in the available materials.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are practical rather than ideological: whether Maui Health and its partners can secure sufficient funding, whether the Rural Health Transformation Program can be used as intended, and how quickly a sustainable residency program can be launched. The resolution also implies coordination challenges among state officials, medical school leadership, health centers, and private or philanthropic funders. Because the measure is advisory, any disagreement would likely center on implementation capacity, financing, and long-term sustainability rather than the policy goal itself.