Ohio drug-price proposal gets resubmitted to lawmakers

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio’s elections chief has resubmitted to state lawmakers a proposal aimed at controlling prescription drug prices.

The move Tuesday comes after backers of the so-called Drug Price Relief Act have asked the Ohio Supreme Court to reconsider whether the issue must return to the Legislature.

Last month, the court found that elections officials erroneously counted certain signatures, leaving backers short of what was required.

Supporters of the initiative, who include the California-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, recently submitted enough signatures to close that gap. Meanwhile, they have asked for the proposal to bypass lawmakers and go straight to voters next year once they have collected another round of valid signatures.

The proposal aims to keep state entities from buying drugs at prices higher than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays.