Maine
Gov. Paul LePage is calling on Congress to eliminate provisions in a pending
bill that he says would put hundreds of Maine jobs at risk. The bill would end
the manufacture of printed inserts with pharmaceutical drugs, which LePage says
would affect business for a major paper supplier in northern Maine.
The
legislation in question, supporters say, is designed to secure the drug supply
chain, and safeguard against counterfitters.
Finch Paper, which has operated a mill on the bank of the Hudson River in
the Warren County city for over a century, urged the area's congressmen to vote
against the measure because it contains an "anti-paper provision"
that would require the electronic invoicing of drug shipments. Finch says this
would significantly reduce the market for the uncoated printing papers
it produces.
Such is the nature of legislating: A bill that drew no major cries from
pharmaceutical companies or consumer advocates prompts an objection from a
paper company. It passed in a voice vote.
