LAST WEEK
On Friday, the U.S. House of Representative passed the COMPETE Act; aimed to fix supply chain shortages and increase the U.S.’s trade competitiveness. The legislation puts billions towards scientific research and manufacturing.
President Biden last week announced the relaunch of the cancer moonshot initiative; a program aimed towards early cancer diagnoses, increased screening, and equity in treatment.
In the Massachusetts Legislature, the Senate and House reached a compromise on a COVID-19 funding package, passing $101 million to support municipalities in COVID-19 testing, PPE, and addressing vaccination disparities.
On Wednesday, many legislative committees had their deadline to report out bills for this session, known as Joint Rule 10. House 1224/Senate bill S.627, bills that permanently establish the ability for pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide copay assistance in Massachusetts for drugs without generic equivalents, were part of an extension order that was adopted by the Joint Committee on Financial Services. The date when bills included in this order need to be reported out has been extended to April 30, 2022.
Two Democrats have announced their candidacies for Massachusetts Attorney General: Andrea Campbell, former Boston City Councilor and 2021 Boston mayoral candidate; and Quentin Palfrey, former assistant Attorney General and 2018 candidate for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor. Campbell and Palfrey join Shannon Liss-Riordan, 2020 U.S. Senate candidate and labor attorney, in the Democratic primary.
THIS WEEK
On Thursday, the Senate will debate legislation (S.2651) to address drug prices and increase transparency around the cost of prescription drugs. The Senate’s deadline for amendments to the bill is Monday at 3PM.
The Joint Committee on Ways and Means will hold the first of several fiscal year 2023 budget hearings on Tuesday. Administration and Finance Secretary Mike Heffernan, Secretary of State Bill Galvin, State Auditor Suzanne Bump, and Treasurer Deb Goldberg are among those expected to testify.
Massachusetts State Representative Maria Robinson (D-Framingham) will have a hearing before the U.S. Senate regarding her nomination from President Biden to serve as an Assistant Secretary of Energy in the Office of Electricity.