First a little background...

Drug companies create drugs.  They research them, they test them, they rework the formulas, they test them again and once they have something that will save lives or improve quality of life they send it along to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their own testing and approval.  

The FDA tests these drugs.  They make sure they do what the drug companies say they do.  They make sure they're safe for use under a doctor's supervision and that all of the correct interaction and warning labels are properly applied and ready for marketing.

Once the FDA approves a drug, its back on the drug companies to sell them and to comply with the standards the FDA has set for the sale and marketing.

In Michigan, if someone takes a prescription drug and bad things happen... they have a complication, they get slammed by a particular side-effect they didn't see coming or they just plain didn't follow directions correctly there's a mechanism in place whereby those patients can sue.

If you believe the warning labels misrepresented the risk, or you think the drug company foisted something on you fraudulently you go to the FDA, you tell them what happened (they take these sorts of things seriously) and if the FDA figures out the company really did misrepresent their drugs or didn't tell the whole story about them then you get to sue!

So what's Simpson's deal all about?  He wants you to be able to sue for millions because you catch a sniffle.  He's encouraging frivolous lawsuits and looking out for his trial lawyer buddies.

You know how governor Granholm's always talking about life sciences and incubators and new economies?  So much for that.

MichBio reports that more than 540 life science companies are up and running in Michigan.  They've got over 30,000 employees.  Guess what they do!  They create drugs.  They research drugs.  They test drugs.  They improve lives.  They save lives!  

Now take those companies, already limping through Granholm's single-state recession and take the leash off the trial lawyers.  Sure, some of the companies will survive.  Lots of them won't.  Its been a couple weeks and I know we tend to have short attention spans, but does anyone remember Pfizer?  It was a really big company that made prescription drugs.  They cut a whole lot of jobs a couple weeks back?  Ringing any bells?

This legislation was already in the works, boys and girls.  They saw the writing on the wall on this one.  I'm not saying this is why they left, but it sure as heck didn't help our case.

Now, to quote one game show or another... "But wait!  There's MOOOOOORE!!!!"

UP Rep Gary McDowell's chipped in on behalf of his trial lawyer friends too!  He's sponsored HB4045 and rustled up 25 co-sponsors, again including Grand Rapids own Robert Dean, Mike Simpson, Marc Corriveau, Kate Ebli and Terry Brown.

HB4045 one-ups Simpson's legislation by making it retroactive!  That's right, our new Democrat majority wants Michigan businesses to be sued for things they did years ago under a different set of rules!  Yep.  That'll be good for business.  And there aren't any Constitutional issues at all.

So the trial lawyers are the first special interest group to get major legislation moved!  Congratulations, guys!  I know things have been tough the last few years under John Engler and the Republican legislature but your friend and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Andy Dillon is the new marshal in town and he's got your back.  See?  Things aren't so bad after all!

But none of this is a surprise.  These guys told us they were planning on doing this didn't they?  

Why, on Rep. Robert Dean's own state website he says:

"Our new plan will focus on major reforms in key areas such as health care and education. By working together, we can build a Michigan with a bigger and brighter future."

Oh.  There's nothing there about being a pawn of the special interests?  My bad.