House Expected to Pass Drug Pricing Legislation Today
The U.S. House is voting on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) this afternoon, which contains drug pricing legislation allowing Medicare to set pricing on prescription drugs for the first time in U.S. history. On August 7, the Senate passed the bill 51-50. Price controls have been proven to destabilize innovation ecosystems by driving capital investments away, chilling research and development, and eliminating jobs. Ultimately, they reduce the number of medicines being developed and reaching patients. In response to the legislation, Biocom California CEO, Joe Panetta, released
this statement.
South San Francisco Ballot Measure Could Hurt Biotech
A
tax measure to fund childcare in South San Francisco is headed to the November ballot. The initiative would impose a $2.50 per square foot parcel tax on commercial buildings larger than 25,000 square feet. Biocom California plans to convene our members in South San Francisco to consider an official position opposing the measure and participating in an opposition coalition. Have questions or want to get involved? Contact
Melanie Cohn.
California State of Emergency for Monkeypox Outbreak
Gov. Gavin Newsom
declared a State of Emergency for monkeypox on August 1, triggering a set of legal powers and changes to enable a more robust response to the outbreak. A week prior,
San Francisco had declared its own state of emergency. Unlike COVID-19, this state of emergency is unlikely to result in shelter in place orders or other restrictions. Instead, the order allows additional personnel to administer vaccines.
Measure to Restrict Multifamily Housing Heads to Menlo Park Ballot
Menlo Park City Council voted on July 26 to
place a measure on the November ballot that would require any rezoning of single-family neighborhoods to be approved by voters. According to a report commissioned by the council, if the measure passes options for housing development sites could be greatly reduced.
State Launches First-Ever Housing Policy Review in San Francisco
The Department of Housing and Community Development announced on August 9 that it will
conduct a review of housing policy in San Francisco, which according to self-reported data has the longest timelines in the state for advancing housing projects to construction. The review is aimed at identifying and removing barriers to approval and construction of new housing and comes after the department rejected the first draft of San Francisco’s Housing Element. The process is expected to take at least nine months.
Give Your Input on the Bay Area Ferry
What do you want the future of Bay Area water transit to look like? The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is currently developing a shared vision of the San Francisco Bay Area ferry system in 2050.
Explore the Bay Ferry 2050 website to take a quick priorities poll, subscribe, and help WETA re-imagine the future of water transportation.
Make Your Voice Heard! Biocom California Action Center Revamped
Biocom California has completed a redesign of our
Action Center so that we are able to more effectively connect our members with policymakers at all levels of government. If you are interested in making your voice heard, check out our existing alerts, or sign up to receive a notification about future alerts using the registration box on the Action Center
page. Sign up today!
