The committee passed HB303 in an amended form, adopting suggested technical amendments from the Department of Taxation and noting a defective effective date that staff will repair.

Testimony from the Hawaii State Center for Nursing and the University of Hawaii said the program has successfully increased health-education capacity over the last five years and that there is room to include additional professions without exceeding the bill’s existing capacity. Laura Reichardt of the Hawaii State Center for Nursing told the committee the program gives about 670 tax credits annually against an eligibility cap of 1,500.

The committee also accepted DOTAX amendments numbered 1–9 and several technical edits for clarity and style. The chair said the measures and DOTAX suggestions are intended to assist administration of the credit and to correct defective effective-date language.

With the changes, the committee adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass HB303 as HD1; staff will prepare the HD1 draft with the technical corrections.