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Legislative committee votes down bill to penalize drug companies for price gouging
The pharmaceutical industry has made it clear that it will sue Maine if the state approves the measure, which now goes to the full Legislature.
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A legislative committee on Thursday voted against a bill to assess hefty fines on generic drug manufacturers that jack up prices, rejecting the proposal after the industry made clear it would sue Maine if it became law.
Democrats on the committee were deeply divided over the “excessive pricing” bill despite assurances from Maine’s attorney general that his office would defend it in court. While another measure to strengthen Maine’s 2-year-old drug price monitoring program earned a committee endorsement, a majority of members weren’t swayed by Senate President Troy Jackson’s fiery comments that it was worth the legal risk to combat price gouging.
Legislators weigh whether to require free tampons and pads in Maine schools pressherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Maine House Democrats
“It isn’t only an issue of fairness or even of affordability,” said Grace Leavitt, president of the Maine Education Association. “Having access to menstrual products can help to positively impact a girl’s confidence and thus even affect her future.”
Advocates told the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs that many youngsters struggle to pay for sanitary products such as tampons and pads. As many as one in four have missed classes as a result, they said.
But for many of those testifying, it’s also an issue of equity.
“Half of the population get their period, and so we should at least be able to supply items to help them,” said 11-year-old Astrid Whitton, a South Portland sixth grader.