HB223 Summary

• Establishes the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy Special Fund administered by the University of Hawaii to support pharmacist workforce assessment and planning efforts in the state.

• Creates a pharmacist workforce assessment fee on pharmacy licenses, wholesale prescription drug distributor licenses, and related permits, with specific fee amounts to be determined, to be deposited into the special fund.

• Directs fund moneys to support recruitment and retention of pharmacists in rural and medically underserved areas, including loan repayment programs and scholarships for pharmacy students.

• Amends Chapter 461, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to require payment of the pharmacist workforce assessment fee as a condition of license and permit renewal and issuance.

• Appropriates initial funding from the compliance resolution fund to establish the special fund, with quarterly disbursement of collected assessment fees to the college beginning in fiscal year 2025-2026.