Prescription Drug Discharge Petition -Sept. 18, 2002.

Press Conference to Start Prescription Drug Discharge Petition



	September 18, 2002. A bipartisan group including a number of House Democrats and Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined together to urge House Republicans to take up the "Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act of 2001" (H.R. 1862), which would close loopholes and increase competition in the prescription drug market. Democrats were forced to resort to a discharge petition, a procedure which requires 218 signatures to force further action. The Senate passed such a bill on July 31 by a vote of 78-21.