Van Hollen Statement on Maryland General Assembly’s Veto Override on the Prescription Drug Affordability Board

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the Maryland General Assembly’s override of the veto blocking legislation to fund the Prescription Drug Affordability Board:

“Now more than ever, as Americans face the health and economic strain of COVID-19, it’s critical that we tackle the costs of prescription drugs in order to ensure Marylanders can afford the medicines they need. These efforts simply cannot wait. The State’s new Prescription Drug Affordability Board is a smart, innovative way to curb costs, and I was proud to support efforts in the General Assembly to get it done. Today’s veto override vote will allow the Prescription Drug Affordability Board to get fully up and running and to start identifying ways to save Marylanders money on life-saving medications. I appreciate Senators Kathy Klausmeier and Clarence Lam’s work to champion this legislation and the General Assembly leadership’s commitment to addressing this issue. I will continue fighting at the federal level to bring down prescription drug costs – including through working to pass the We PAID Act, legislation I’ve introduced to ensure taxpayers receive a fair price on prescription drugs their dollars helped create.”