House education panel votes to advance bill phasing WWAMI seats toward new Idaho-focused partnerships

The Idaho House Education Committee voted 9-5 on Feb. 14 to send House Bill 176 to the floor with a —due pass— recommendation, endorsing a proposal from Rep. Dustin Manwaring to phase out future reserved student slots in the WWAMI regional medical-education program and move Idaho—s investment toward state-centered partnerships and clinical training.

Manwaring (State Representative, District 29), the bill—s sponsor, told the committee the measure aims to increase capacity, keep more state education dollars in Idaho and improve retention of Idaho-trained physicians. "I started when I introduced this legislation by talking to you about how Idaho does not have its own state run medical school," Manwaring said during his presentation.

The bill would: end the reservation of new WWAMI slots after the 2026-27 academic year while protecting currently enrolled students; require the State Board of Education to designate at least two medical-education programs in Idaho or adjacent states within the Mountain…