Senate, October 30, 2023 -- The committee on Health Care Financing, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 732) of John J. Cronin for legislation to promote comprehensive transparency in the pharmaceutical industry; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 749) of Cindy F. Friedman, Rebecca L. Rausch, Susannah M. Whipps, Joanne M. Comerford and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to pharmaceutical access, costs and transparency; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 767) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to define modest meals and refreshments in prescriber education settings; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 778) of Paul W. Mark for legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 783) of Mark C. Montigny and Michael J. Barrett for legislation to promote transparency and prevent price gouging of pharmaceutical drug prices; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 784) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation relative to coverage for chronic illness; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 797) of Jacob R. Oliveira for legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 619) of Nicholas A. Boldyga relative to establishing a prescription drug rebate program for seniors; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1176) of Edward F. Coppinger and others relative to promoting comprehensive transparency in the pharmaceutical industry; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1201) of Kate Hogan relative to the pricing of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1205) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others that the Health Policy Commission and health insurers create listings of certain high cost prescription drugs and that the Attorney General require drug manufacturers to provide information to justify increases in costs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1206) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) relative to contracts between the MassHealth program and pharmaceutical benefit managers; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1215) of John J. Lawn, Jr., and others relative to pharmacy benefit managers; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1246) of William M. Straus relative to drug prices paid by carriers; and (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1247) of Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida, Michael J. Soter and David F. DeCoste relative to pharmacy benefit managers reimbursements to pharmacies in the Commonwealth, reports the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2492).
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts state law to increase transparency within the pharmaceutical industry by adding new definitions for key industry players. It specifically defines "pharmaceutical manufacturing companies," "pharmacy benefit managers," "pipeline drugs," and "sponsors" to clarify who must comply with reporting requirements. The legislation also expands the group of entities responsible for paying fees to the state commission, ensuring that costs for analyzing drug spending trends are fully covered by these companies and managers. By updating existing statutes, the bill aims to improve data collection on pharmaceutical expenditures without introducing new regulatory mandates beyond these definitional and fee-related changes.
By Representative Coppinger of Boston, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Edward F. Coppinger relative to increasing the minimum pension for public retirees. Public Service.
By Mr. Ryan of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2517) of Daniel J. Ryan and Edward F. Coppinger relative to fire protection sprinkler systems. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
By Representatives Miranda of Boston and Domb of Amherst, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2370) of Liz Miranda, Mindy Domb and others relative to providing for equity in the administering of COVID-19 vaccinations. Public Health.
By Mr. Coppinger of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2429) of Edward F. Coppinger and others relative to providing critical incident intervention services for emergency service providers. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two branches with reference to the Senate amendment of the House Bill preserving open space in the Commonwealth (House, No. 851), reports, in part, recommending passage of the accompanying bill (House, No. 5381).
By Ms. Balser of Newton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 851) of Ruth B. Balser and others relative to preserving open space in the Commonwealth. Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.
By Ms. Khan of Newton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1709) of Kay Khan and others for legislation to prohibit marriage of minors. The Judiciary.