| 1 | 1 | | By: Burrows H.B. No. 4002 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to an interim study regarding international price |
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| 7 | 7 | | discrimination in pharmaceuticals. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. INTERIM COMMITTEE; STUDY. (a) The joint interim |
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| 10 | 10 | | committee on pharmaceutical pricing is established to study and |
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| 11 | 11 | | review the impacts of international pharmaceutical price |
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| 12 | 12 | | discrimination on the people of Texas as well as on the state |
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| 13 | 13 | | government. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) The study must consider: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) the reasoning behind pharmaceutical companies |
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| 16 | 16 | | pricing on the international market; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) any changes in the cost of pharmaceuticals under |
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| 18 | 18 | | the Affordable Care Act; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) the amount to which the American public subsidizes |
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| 20 | 20 | | the international pharmaceutical market, research and development, |
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| 21 | 21 | | and other costs; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (4) the impacts of price discrimination on: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (A) individual citizens of this state; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (B) the budget of this state; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (c) The joint interim committee shall be composed of the |
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| 26 | 26 | | members of the international trade and intergovernmental affairs |
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| 27 | 27 | | committee of the house of representatives, and the |
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| 28 | 28 | | intergovernmental relations committee of the senate. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (d) The chairmen of each respective committee shall serve as |
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| 30 | 30 | | co-chairs for the joint interim committee. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (e) The joint interim committee shall convene at the call of |
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| 32 | 32 | | one of the co-chairs. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (f) The joint interim committee has all other powers and |
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| 34 | 34 | | duties provided to a special or select committee by the rules of the |
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| 35 | 35 | | senate and house of representatives, by Subchapter B, Chapter 301, |
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| 36 | 36 | | Government Code, and by policies of the senate and house committees |
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| 37 | 37 | | on administration. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (g) Not later than January 6, 2017, the joint interim |
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| 39 | 39 | | committee shall report the committee's findings to the lieutenant |
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| 40 | 40 | | governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the |
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| 41 | 41 | | governor. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (h) From the contingent expense fund of the senate and the |
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| 43 | 43 | | contingent expense fund of the house of representatives equally, |
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| 44 | 44 | | the members of the joint interim committee shall be reimbursed for |
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| 45 | 45 | | expenses incurred in carrying out the provisions of this Act in |
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| 46 | 46 | | accordance with the senate and house of representatives rules of |
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| 47 | 47 | | procedure and the policies of the committees on administration. |
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| 48 | 48 | | Other necessary expenses of operation shall be paid from the |
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| 49 | 49 | | contingent expense fund of the senate and the contingent expense |
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| 50 | 50 | | fund of the house of representatives equally. |
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| 51 | 51 | | (i) The Texas Legislative Council shall provide legal and |
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| 52 | 52 | | policy research, bill drafting, and statistical analysis services |
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| 53 | 53 | | to the committee created under this section. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 2. ABOLITION OF COMMITTEE. The committee is |
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| 55 | 55 | | abolished and this Act expires January 12, 2017. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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| 57 | 57 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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| 58 | 58 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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| 59 | 59 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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| 60 | 60 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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