MAYVILLE, NY – The Chautauqua County Legislature will be holding its monthly voting session Wednesday in Mayville.
Among the items to be considered by the legislature is a resolution that would allow the county to sue pharmaceutical companies, claiming that their effort to push for the over prescription of opioid medications has led to the current drug and opioid epidemic.
The resolution, entitled “Authorize Litigation Against Major Drug Manufacturers to Recover Current and Future Damages to the County from Abuse of Opioid Pharmaceuticals,” would be similar to the past litigation effort filed against the tobacco industry. According to the language of the resolution, the county is joining other counties in the state in seeking to “recover damages from those parties directly contributing to high costs to the taxpayers in the form of increased social services, policing, and other expenditures, so as to mitigate the impact of same.”
Also on Wednesday, Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan is scheduled to give a presentation on the county’s Shared Services Plan, which is currently in the running for a $20 million grant from the state.
And the legislature will say goodbye to legislator Mark Tarbrake (R-Jamestown, District 14), who is moving out of his district and as a result has to step down form the panel. The seat will likely remain open until a new legislator is selected in the November election. Only one candidate will appear on the ballot for that seat – Dan Pavlock (R-Charlotte).
Wednesday’s meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and in the legislative chambers in Mayville and is open to the public.
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