House committee advances bill to add medical school seats, direct State Board to plan expansion

BOISE — The Idaho House Committee on Education voted to send House Bill 368 to the floor with a do-pass recommendation after an hour of testimony and questions on expanding the state’s medical education capacity.

Representative Dustin Manwaring, state representative for District 29 from Pocatello and the bill’s sponsor, told the committee Idaho “faces a critical need for more physicians, particularly in rural and underserved areas” and urged diversifying medical education partnerships beyond WWAMI (the Washington‑Idaho WWAMI regional medical education program).

Manwaring outlined the bill’s mechanics: Idaho currently supports 40 WWAMI seats in‑state and 10 seats tied to the University of Utah for a total of 50 state‑sponsored medical seats. Under HB 368, the state would add 30 new non‑WWAMI seats over a phased period; because of reductions in WWAMI seats in year two the net increase would be 20, bringing the total to 70 state‑sponsored seats. “With this pending legislation, Idaho will add 30 new non‑WWAMI seats leading to a net increase of 20 medical school seats bringing the total to 70,” Manwaring said.

Manwaring said Idaho currently pays nearly $8 million annually for WWAMI participation, with about two‑thirds of that money going to the University of Washington. He told the committee that redirecting some of that funding into in‑state partnerships and regional alternatives could allow Idaho “to retain more control over its medical education programs and clerkships.” Using a 70% retention estimate for WWAMI graduates, Manwaring said Idaho currently keeps about 28 physicians per year and estimated the state effectively pays roughly $285,000 per physician when measured against the current WWAMI appropriation.

Testimony included representatives from prospective partners and program administrators. Dr. Benjamin Chan, associate dean for admissions and Idaho affairs at the University of Utah School of Medicine, said the university is “eager and excited” to work with the University of Idaho and to accommodate Idaho students. Chan described plans to keep as much of the students’ clinical training in Idaho as possible; he said some specialty rotations might still take place in Salt Lake City and outlined an accreditation timeline with the LCME for any class‑size or regional campus changes.

Mary Baranaga, a family physician who identified herself as a WWAMI graduate and a WWAMI staff member working on Idaho clinical sites, urged preservation of existing WWAMI infrastructure while directing the State Board of Education to develop a growth plan. “WWAMI is committed to figuring out how we expand medical education in Idaho,” Baranaga said, while noting WWAMI’s recent agreement to comply with Idaho’s No Public Funds for Abortion Act and saying much WWAMI funding flows back into Idaho through clerkship sites.

Josh Whitworth, executive director of the State Board of Education, told the committee the board supports a methodical plan that brings more doctors into Idaho and said the bill’s requirement that the board develop a medical education plan is a key element. Senator Dave Veil, a co‑sponsor, framed the bill as a long‑term investment to diversify and expand Idaho’s physician pipeline over decades.

Committee members pressed the sponsor on details in section 2 of the bill that uses the phrase “at least 10,” and on the mechanics of phasing WWAMI reductions and non‑WWAMI additions. Representative Mathias and others asked whether “at least 10” could mean more than 10 in practice; Manwaring and the sponsor repeatedly said the intent is to phase in 10 seats per year in the schedule described but that the State Board’s plan could recommend different numbers for legislative action.

The committee considered substitute motions to send the bill to general orders and a separate motion to hold the bill in committee. Both motions failed on recorded votes. A later roll call on the motion to send House Bill 368 to the floor with a do‑pass recommendation carried by a vote of 8‑5 (with one member absent), and the bill will go to the House floor with the committee recommendation.

Ending: The bill remains subject to floor debate and any further amendments; the State Board of Education would be directed to develop a medical education plan setting out factors for expansion, and the legislation anticipates partnerships with institutions such as the University of Utah and continued involvement with WWAMI while creating new in‑state or regional seat options.