Tennessee lawmakers push bill that could make them, and their donors, richer by triggering CVS closures
What's the endgame here?
A law working its way through Tennessee’s legislature could serve the interests of the pharmacy industry-linked GOP lawmakers sponsoring it by reducing competition for them and their donors.
Tennessee Senate Bill 2040, according to CVS, would force it to close every pharmacy it maintains in the Volunteer State. Some of the lawmakers pushing the bill own pharmacies that could potentially benefit from the resulting dearth of competition, whereas others supporting the law are funded by business interests that themselves could gain from knocking out the state’s CVS locations.
State Sen. Shane Reeves (R), one of the bill’s sponsors, owns TwelveStone Health Partners, a pharmacy in the city of Murfreesboro, according to state ethics records. Just a five-minute drive from Reeves’s pharmacy is a CVS location, highlighting the potential for friction.
In addition to owning a pharmacy, Reeves has also accepted considerable campaign funding from organizations with a vested interest in seeing SB 2040 become law.
The American Pharmacy Cooperative, which represents the interests of independent pharmacists, for instance, has given Reeves $24,800, campaign finance records show. Independent pharmacists compete with CVS. Also representing independent pharmacies, the Tennessee Pharmacists Association has donated $24,500 to Reeves.
The Tennessee Pharmacists Association has endorsed SB 2040. The bill would force CVS to divest from a core part of its business or else close its locations in Tennessee.
Reeves is far from the only lawmaker backing SB 2040 who could stand to gain from it or who has taken money from interests that would benefit from its passage.
State Sen. Bobby Harshbarger (R) — the author and lead sponsor of the legislation — previously identified himself as the CEO of Premier Pharmacy on his LinkedIn page, which has since been scrubbed. In a recent interview, the senator described his leadership duties at the pharmacy.
Harshbarger denies holding an ownership stake in the pharmacy himself but told the Washington Examiner that he and many other members of the Tennessee General Assembly “bring industry experience to the legislature, which helps inform policy discussions affecting Tennesseans.”
Tennessee property records show that Harshbarger’s parents own the building where Premier Pharmacy operates. Harshbarger’s mother, a U.S. congresswoman, stated in a February 2022 radio interview that she and her husband own Premier Pharmacy but maintain they had …
What's the endgame here?
A law working its way through Tennessee’s legislature could serve the interests of the pharmacy industry-linked GOP lawmakers sponsoring it by reducing competition for them and their donors.
Tennessee Senate Bill 2040, according to CVS, would force it to close every pharmacy it maintains in the Volunteer State. Some of the lawmakers pushing the bill own pharmacies that could potentially benefit from the resulting dearth of competition, whereas others supporting the law are funded by business interests that themselves could gain from knocking out the state’s CVS locations.
State Sen. Shane Reeves (R), one of the bill’s sponsors, owns TwelveStone Health Partners, a pharmacy in the city of Murfreesboro, according to state ethics records. Just a five-minute drive from Reeves’s pharmacy is a CVS location, highlighting the potential for friction.
In addition to owning a pharmacy, Reeves has also accepted considerable campaign funding from organizations with a vested interest in seeing SB 2040 become law.
The American Pharmacy Cooperative, which represents the interests of independent pharmacists, for instance, has given Reeves $24,800, campaign finance records show. Independent pharmacists compete with CVS. Also representing independent pharmacies, the Tennessee Pharmacists Association has donated $24,500 to Reeves.
The Tennessee Pharmacists Association has endorsed SB 2040. The bill would force CVS to divest from a core part of its business or else close its locations in Tennessee.
Reeves is far from the only lawmaker backing SB 2040 who could stand to gain from it or who has taken money from interests that would benefit from its passage.
State Sen. Bobby Harshbarger (R) — the author and lead sponsor of the legislation — previously identified himself as the CEO of Premier Pharmacy on his LinkedIn page, which has since been scrubbed. In a recent interview, the senator described his leadership duties at the pharmacy.
Harshbarger denies holding an ownership stake in the pharmacy himself but told the Washington Examiner that he and many other members of the Tennessee General Assembly “bring industry experience to the legislature, which helps inform policy discussions affecting Tennesseans.”
Tennessee property records show that Harshbarger’s parents own the building where Premier Pharmacy operates. Harshbarger’s mother, a U.S. congresswoman, stated in a February 2022 radio interview that she and her husband own Premier Pharmacy but maintain they had …
Tennessee lawmakers push bill that could make them, and their donors, richer by triggering CVS closures
What's the endgame here?
A law working its way through Tennessee’s legislature could serve the interests of the pharmacy industry-linked GOP lawmakers sponsoring it by reducing competition for them and their donors.
Tennessee Senate Bill 2040, according to CVS, would force it to close every pharmacy it maintains in the Volunteer State. Some of the lawmakers pushing the bill own pharmacies that could potentially benefit from the resulting dearth of competition, whereas others supporting the law are funded by business interests that themselves could gain from knocking out the state’s CVS locations.
State Sen. Shane Reeves (R), one of the bill’s sponsors, owns TwelveStone Health Partners, a pharmacy in the city of Murfreesboro, according to state ethics records. Just a five-minute drive from Reeves’s pharmacy is a CVS location, highlighting the potential for friction.
In addition to owning a pharmacy, Reeves has also accepted considerable campaign funding from organizations with a vested interest in seeing SB 2040 become law.
The American Pharmacy Cooperative, which represents the interests of independent pharmacists, for instance, has given Reeves $24,800, campaign finance records show. Independent pharmacists compete with CVS. Also representing independent pharmacies, the Tennessee Pharmacists Association has donated $24,500 to Reeves.
The Tennessee Pharmacists Association has endorsed SB 2040. The bill would force CVS to divest from a core part of its business or else close its locations in Tennessee.
Reeves is far from the only lawmaker backing SB 2040 who could stand to gain from it or who has taken money from interests that would benefit from its passage.
State Sen. Bobby Harshbarger (R) — the author and lead sponsor of the legislation — previously identified himself as the CEO of Premier Pharmacy on his LinkedIn page, which has since been scrubbed. In a recent interview, the senator described his leadership duties at the pharmacy.
Harshbarger denies holding an ownership stake in the pharmacy himself but told the Washington Examiner that he and many other members of the Tennessee General Assembly “bring industry experience to the legislature, which helps inform policy discussions affecting Tennesseans.”
Tennessee property records show that Harshbarger’s parents own the building where Premier Pharmacy operates. Harshbarger’s mother, a U.S. congresswoman, stated in a February 2022 radio interview that she and her husband own Premier Pharmacy but maintain they had …
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