{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgE2194-4", "2000-12-15", 106, 2, null, null, "REPUBLICANS GIVE $200 MILLION GIFT TO DRUG INDUSTRY", "HOUSE", "EXTENSIONS", "ALLOTHER", "E2194", "E2194", "[{\"name\": \"Fortney Pete Stark\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "146 Cong. Rec. E2194", "Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]\n[Extensions of Remarks]\n[Page E2194]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n          REPUBLICANS GIVE $200 MILLION GIFT TO DRUG INDUSTRY\n\n                                 ______\n\n                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK\n\n                             of california\n\n                    in the house of representatives\n\n                       Friday, December 15, 2000\n\n  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, the Medicare bill before us gives a $200\nmillion gift to the nation's drug manufacturers--undoubtedly a pay-off\nfor the industry's massive, $80 million contribution to the Republicans\nand Governor Bush.\n  In section 429, as passed by the House, and in the versions of the\nbill circulating as late as December 12, Medicare was prohibited from\neither increasing or decreasing the rates of reimbursement for drugs.\nThis section blocked an effort by the Justice Department, the HHS\nOffice of the Inspector General and Medicare to save the taxpayer\nhundreds of millions of dollars a year in overpayments. CBO scored the\nblockage as costing about $200 million. To offset the cost, the\noriginal bill, as passed by the House, also blocked drug companies from\nincreasing their charges to Medicare.\n  Sometime between December 12th and last evening, someone in the\nSpeaker's office or the Senate Majority Leader's office dropped the\nword ``increase''--thus allowing the drug companies and doctors who\nprofiteer from huge mark-ups on drugs to continue to rip-off patients\nand taxpayers. The bill before us now only blocks the cuts in\nreimbursement that had been recommended by the Department of Justice.\n  What a travesty. Senator McCain is right: it is way way past time for\ncampaign finance reform.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgE2194-4"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 11.398929869756103, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}