Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act
Latest action · May 13, 2005 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 14, 2005
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require any pharmacy receiving prescription drugs or prescription devices in interstate commerce to: (1) ensure that any in stock prescription that one pharmacist refuses to fill on the basis of a personal belief is filled by another pharmacist employed by the pharmacy without delay; (2) ensure that any individual who presents a prescription for an item that is not in stock which one pharmacist refuses to order on the basis of a personal belief is immediately informed that the product can be ordered by the pharmacy and to order such product without delay; and (3) not employ any pharmacist who engages in any conduct with the intent to prevent or deter an individual from filling a valid prescription, including refusing to return a prescription form, refusing to transfer a prescription, or subjecting the individual to humiliation or harassment.
Provides that this Act does not require the pharmacy to keep any particular product in stock nor does it apply with respect to a product for a health condition if the pharmacy does not keep in stock any product for such condition.
Sets forth civil penalties. Allows a private cause of action for a violation of this Act.
Cosponsors 128
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 14, 2005 to Nov 14, 2006; 17 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-CT | Christopher Shays | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-CA | George Miller | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-VA | James P. Moran | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-NY | Joseph Crowley | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-IN | Julia Carson | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-CA | Lois Capps | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-IL | Luis V. Gutierrez | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-RI | Patrick J. Kennedy | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-OR | Peter A. DeFazio | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-PA | Robert A. Brady | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-OH | Stephanie Tubbs Jones | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-CA | Susan A. Davis | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Original | Apr 14, 2005 |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-OH | Dennis J. Kucinich | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-TX | Eddie Bernice Johnson | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Ellen O. Tauscher | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Fortney Pete Stark | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Maurice D. Hinchey | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Rush Holt | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Apr 19, 2005 | |
| D-IL | Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. | Apr 20, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Lynn C. Woolsey | Apr 20, 2005 | |
| D-VA | Rick Boucher | Apr 20, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Steve Israel | Apr 20, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Hilda L. Solis | Apr 21, 2005 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Apr 21, 2005 | |
| D-MA | John W. Olver | Apr 21, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Anthony D. Weiner | Apr 26, 2005 | |
| D-WA | Norman D. Dicks | Apr 26, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Tom Lantos | Apr 26, 2005 | |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Apr 27, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Howard L. Berman | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Jane Harman | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Juanita Millender-McDonald | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Major R. Owens | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-MA | Martin T. Meehan | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-NV | Shelley Berkley | May 5, 2005 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | May 12, 2005 | |
| D-MA | Barney Frank | May 12, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn McCarthy | May 12, 2005 | |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | May 12, 2005 | |
| D-MN | Martin Olav Sabo | May 12, 2005 | |
| D-HI | Neil Abercrombie | May 12, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Nita M. Lowey | May 12, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Bob Filner | May 17, 2005 | |
| D-WA | Brian Baird | May 17, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Gary L. Ackerman | May 17, 2005 | |
| D-TX | Gene Green | May 17, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Sam Farr | May 17, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Steven R. Rothman | May 17, 2005 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | May 18, 2005 | |
| D-WA | Rick Larsen | May 18, 2005 | |
| D-WI | Ron Kind | May 18, 2005 | |
| D-ME | Thomas H. Allen | May 18, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Henry A. Waxman | May 19, 2005 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | May 23, 2005 | |
| D-MO | Russ Carnahan | May 23, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Diane E. Watson | May 25, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | May 25, 2005 | |
| D-MA | John F. Tierney | May 25, 2005 | |
| D-OH | Ted Strickland | May 25, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Jun 7, 2005 | |
| R-AZ | Jim Kolbe | Jun 7, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Jose E. Serrano | Jun 7, 2005 | |
| D-FL | Robert Wexler | Jun 7, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Joe Baca | Jun 9, 2005 | |
| D-ME | Michael H. Michaud | Jun 13, 2005 | |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Jun 15, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Maxine Waters | Jun 22, 2005 | |
| D-LA | William J. Jefferson | Jun 22, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Nydia M. Velázquez | Jun 23, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Jul 14, 2005 | |
| D-MI | Carolyn C. Kilpatrick | Jul 14, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Jul 14, 2005 | |
| D-IL | Lane Evans | Jul 19, 2005 | |
| D-MA | Michael E. Capuano | Jul 19, 2005 | |
| D-PA | Allyson Y. Schwartz | Jul 20, 2005 | |
| D-MA | Bill Delahunt | Jul 20, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Jul 20, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Loretta Sanchez | Jul 20, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Mike Thompson | Jul 20, 2005 | |
| R-CT | Nancy L. Johnson | Jul 20, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Dennis A. Cardoza | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-MO | Emanuel Cleaver | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-MI | John Conyers, Jr. | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-GA | John Lewis | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| R-IL | Mark Kirk | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-IL | Melissa L. Bean | Jul 21, 2005 | |
| D-TX | Charles A. Gonzalez | Jul 22, 2005 | |
| D-FL | Corrine Brown | Jul 22, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Nancy Pelosi | Jul 22, 2005 | |
| R-CT | Rob Simmons | Jul 22, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Timothy H. Bishop | Jul 22, 2005 | |
| D-NY | Gregory W. Meeks | Jul 25, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Jul 25, 2005 | |
| D-CA | Xavier Becerra | Jul 25, 2005 | |
| D-NC | Brad Miller | Jul 28, 2005 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Jul 28, 2005 | |
| D-RI | James R. Langevin | Jul 28, 2005 | |
| D-NC | David E. Price | Sep 7, 2005 | |
| D-KS | Dennis Moore | Sep 7, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Bill Pascrell, Jr. | Sep 8, 2005 | |
| D-OR | Darlene Hooley | Feb 1, 2006 | |
| D-MI | Sander M. Levin | Feb 8, 2006 | |
| R-IL | Judy Biggert | Mar 9, 2006 | |
| D-PA | Chaka Fattah | Apr 5, 2006 | |
| D-WA | Jay Inslee | May 12, 2006 | |
| D-TX | Lloyd Doggett | Jun 15, 2006 | |
| D-MD | Albert Russell Wynn | Jul 13, 2006 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Jul 28, 2006 | |
| D-GA | David Scott | Sep 6, 2006 | |
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Nov 14, 2006 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Apr 14, 2005 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred May 13, 2005 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 13, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Apr 15, 2005Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E658)
- Apr 14, 2005Introduced in House
- Apr 14, 2005Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E658 | Carolyn B. Maloney D-NY | Apr 15, 2005 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 809 | Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act | Related bill | Apr 14, 2005 |
| HR 1539 | To amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to the responsibilities of a pharmacy when a pharmacist employed by the pharmacy refuses to fill a valid prescription for a drug on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions, and for other purposes. | Related bill | Apr 22, 2005 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To establish certain duties for pharmacies when pharmacists employed by the pharmacies refuse to fill valid prescriptions for drugs or devices on the basis of personal beliefs, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Access to health care
- Civil actions and liability
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Commerce
- Confidential communications
- Consumer education
- Damages
- Dismissal of employees
- Drugs
- Employee selection
- Fines (Penalties)
- Health
- Injunctions
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Legal fees
- Limitation of actions
- Medical records
- Medical supplies
- Pharmacies
- Pharmacists
- Punitive damages
- Religion
- Religious liberty
- Right of privacy
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 14, 2005Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.