House Bill 424 passed on party lines, after floor debate on House floor devolved into partisan chaos

Just days after pointed, but civil, debate on a proposal to expand efforts to control prescription drug costs, the House floor erupted in a partisan shouting match Friday that had to be gaveled back to order by an angry Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County).

The uproar came during the final House vote on House Bill 424 , a bill that would expand the authority of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. That board was created in 2019 and charged with reducing the cost of prescription medicines purchased by state health plans. Even though it has made slow progress on that front, HB424 would give the board the power to rein in the cost of drugs purchased by any drug provider in the state.

Republicans fought the bill all week, pointing to the lack of progress by PDAB on its current goals, saying the regulations would drive pharmaceutical companies out of the state and suggesting that expanding the board’s authority could threaten the availability of drugs in Maryland.

GOP lawmakers offered a string of unsuccessful amendments Wednesday that they said were aimed at potential unintended consequences of the bill, such as limiting access to prescription drugs and creating market disruptions.

Supporters, like Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery), the sponsor of the bill, argued that PDAB will not set price caps, as opponents claim, but would merely establish the highest price the state — and under HB424, other purchasers — were willing to pay for a drug. It has the potential to lower drug costs for those who need it most, they said.

The debates earlier this week, were calm — boring, even. That changed during Friday’s debate.

Republicans renewed many of their criticisms from earlier in the week, including arguments that expanding PDAB could limit access and threaten research and development of new drugs. Several took the opportunity to use HB424 as a proxy for health care regulation in general, and veered into long criticisms of the 2012 Affordable Care Act.

Several Democratic lawmakers tried to steer the discussion — which took up more than 40 minutes of Friday’s hourlong floor session — back to the bill at hand. By the time Majority Leader David Moon (D-Montgomery) stood to explain his vote, he had heard enough of what he called the “Bizarro World floor debate” of the Republicans.

“The minority party is claiming to worry about research and development into lifesaving medications. They claim to care about access to health care. This bill is not your problem if those are concerns,” said Moon, who turned the debate into an argument over the rapid-fire cuts to federal agencies by President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is in charge of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Moon referenced recent layoffs at federal regulatory agencies such as National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, which are housed in Maryland, and had been cited in some Republican amendments earlier in the week.

“President Musk, and what Vice President Trump are doing – that is your problem,” Moon said.

His deliberate mischaracterization of Trump and Musk’s dynamic first earned a few chuckles from Democrats, and then a chorus of ‘boo’s’ from Republicans.

“’Boo’ — Yes, ‘boo,’” Moon responded sarcastically.

When Del. Lauren Arikan (R-Harford) stood up and interrupted Moon to explain her vote, Moon snapped, “I’m not done.”

That led Arikan to charge Moon had gone over the two-minute time limit to speak. She was joined by a half-dozen other Republicans demanding to make a point of order, to explain their votes or to argue that Moon had exceeded his time, until Jones stepped in to quiet the cacophony of voices.

“I’ve not recognized anyone else,” Jones shouted over disruption, bringing the gavel down hard three times to stop the frenzy.

“Let me speak,” Jones demanded. “His [Moon’s] time is up, he’s going to sit down.” Moon agreed and sat.

She then told everyone to sit back down and “relax – if you can.”

Jones then recognized Arikan, who called the exchange “painful.”

“I don’t know what this bill could possibly have to do with Donald Trump or Elon Musk. This bill is about rigging the market. Conservatives never like that. I am so sorry to offend you with our belief that the free market is the best way to lower the cost of things.”

Other than a few snarky remarks about the flare-up itself, the debate went on without any other disruptions and HB424 ultimately passed on a party-line vote, 94-38. It now heads to the Senate, where a companion bill has had a committee hearing, but has yet to get a vote.

Following the floor session, Moon defended his floor remarks.

“The thing that’s actually threatening what they claim to care about … is all of the announcements that we’ve heard from the federal government this week — gutting mass layoffs and the likes at those very agencies,” Moon said. “It’s just a wildly disconnected conversation.”

The final word Friday went to Del. Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore City), the majority parliamentarian, who gently reminded House members of the rules of floor debate and the need to keep things cordial — reminders that are becoming a semiregular occurrence.

“Just a couple of refreshers — we only speak when we are acknowledged by the Speaker to do so. Also, when we are rising to explain our vote … the clerks are timing,” she said. “Also, the Speaker is the keeper of order and quorum in the House. It has been the custom of this chamber to not be overtly political or personal in this chamber.

“That’s for everyone in the chamber, no matter what side of the aisle you are on,” she said to a smattering of applause. “We all have to abide by those rules.”

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