House committee backs bill to end WWAMI slots and direct Idaho toward new medical-school partners

BOISE — The House Education Committee on Feb. 14 voted 9-5 to send House Bill 176 to the full House with a recommendation that it "do pass." The bill would phase out the WWAMI (University of Washington) arrangement that seats Idaho medical students and require the State Board of Education to designate at least two medical-education programs in Idaho or adjacent Mountain Time Zone states to replace the WWAMI seats over a multi‑year transition.

Proponents said the change is intended to keep more state-funded medical-education dollars and training in Idaho and to expand the state’s capacity to train and retain doctors. Representative Dustin Manwaring, R‑District 29, the bill sponsor, told the committee Idaho needs more Idaho‑trained physicians and that the legislation gives the State Board and universities direction to pursue partners, including the University of Utah.

"Our objective as a legislature is to give that direction to our universities and to the State Board and make sure that they know what the intent is," Representative Dustin Manwaring said during his presentation. He told the committee the bill would stop reserving further WWAMI slots after the 2026–27 academic year, allow current WWAMI students to finish their programs, and phase in new arrangements beginning with incoming students in 2027.

Why it matters: Idaho lawmakers and university officials told the committee the state faces a shortage of…