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Last week saw legislative days 21 – 23 of the 40-day legislative session. This week is important as all bills seeking final passage this year must pass out of their Chamber of origin by next Monday, March 6th, or Crossover Day, so there will be a flurry of committee activity this week as bills are moved before the deadline.

Last Wednesday, House Bill 343, the Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Patients Act, passed out of the House Health Committee. The bill would require 80% of pharmaceutical manufacturers rebates be passed along to the customer, a compromise from last year’s version requiring the full 100% rebate be passed along. The bill now waits in House Rules, but we are optimistic that it will be put on a Rules Calendar in order to meet the Crossover Day deadline.

A few other items still waiting placement on their respective Chambers Rules Calendar are Senate Bill 106, the Healthy Babies Act establishing a 3-year pilot program to offer remote maternal clinical care for high-risk pregnancies under Medicaid, House Bill 416, authorizing qualified pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines, and Senate Bill 109, adding continuous glucose monitors as a pharmacy benefit under Medicaid.

Senate Bill 243, legislation requiring technology manufacturers to disclose proprietary information for diagnostic purposes, was introduced last Thursday and awaits committee assignment. This is the Right to Repair language that we saw last year in the House Agriculture Committee but without the carveout for medical technology that we secured last year. The biggest concern with this from a medical standpoint is that sharing this information could allow uncertified repairs on highly sensitive medical equipment, making it dangerous for the one making the repairs, the operator, and the patient. We do not expect this to move quickly enough to meet the Crossover Day deadline but will continue to monitor it as the week progresses.

Next Monday will be a long day at the Capitol with legislation moving in each Chamber from about 10 a.m. – 12 a.m. that evening. Should there be an issue you would like to flag for our team or something that you have a question or concern about, please do not hesitate to reach out to Ashley Haltom at (478) 217-0232.

 

THANK YOU!

Thank you to those who were able to join us for the 2023 Legislative Reception last week! We had a great turnout and engaging conversation with legislators. As we continue to build support and awareness for the CGHI Innovation District, these types of events will be crucial in securing legislative support.

If you are interested in learning more about the CGHI Innovation District, please reach out to Maria Thacker-Goethe (mthacker@cghi.org) or Kristina Forbes (kforbes@cghi.org).

 

RARE DISEASE DAY IS FEBRUARY 28

#RareDiseaseDay is tomorrow! Did you know that there are over 7,000 diseases and conditions considered rare? As a group, they affect almost 30 million Americans, including many Georgians. Thank you, Governor Kemp, for proclaiming February 28 as #RareDiseaseDay in Georgia!

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FEDERAL FLY-INS

AdvaMed/SMTA Fly-in:                                                                                  

March 7-8, 2023

Capitol Hill/AdvaMed Offices (1301 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 400, Washington D.C. 20004)

RSVP HERE

CSBA Fly-in:

March 28-29, 2023

Capitol Hill/BIO Offices (1201 New York Ave. NW, Washington D.C. 20005)

RSVP and Hotel Registration HERE

 

CONTACT THE TEAM

Should you have questions, concerns, or just want more information on a legislative issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out to members of our Policy Team.

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Ashley HaltomVP of Government AffairsCenter for Global Health Innovation: Georgia Bioahaltom@gabio.org

(478) 217-0232

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Marcus DownsChair, Policy & Advocacy CommitteeDirector, State Government AffairsTakeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.marcus.downs@takeda.com

(678) 234-4060

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Sally KilpatrickPrincipalCornerstone Government Affairsskilpatrick@cgagroup.org

(404) 805-6363

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