Sherrod Brown: “Recently, the United States Senate voted 68-32 to adopt an amendment that would stop the government from seizing safe…”

“Recently, the United States Senate voted 68-32 to adopt an amendment that would stop the government from seizing safe, effective, affordable medicine imported from Canada. The House passed a responsible bipartisan prescription drug importation bill 3 years ago this month. I was pleased to lead the House Democrats in support of that bill. We were not able to get it sent to the President's desk for only one reason: Senate Majority Leader Frist never brought it to the Senate floor. His own Republican Caucus never demanded a vote. They never stood up. They never demanded action to break the drug industry stranglehold on the American market. They never demanded an end to the multibillion-dollar annual tax of skyrocketing drug prices it imposed on American business, and it imposed on American families. At long last, the other body has begun to act. That vote should be the start, not the end, of this effort. I challenge the Republican leadership in both Chambers to give us an open debate, an honest vote on comprehensive drug importation legislation, before the anniversary of the House bill's passage 3 years ago. Three years is long enough to wait for independence from the drug industry. ____________________”