A national group that helps state legislators work to lower prescription prices is moving from Vermont to Maine.

And on Tuesday the National Legislative Association on Prescription Prices (NLA-Rx) announced it has a new executive director, state Senate Majority Leader Sharon Treat, a Farmingdale Democrat. Treat is not seeking re-election because of term limits. Outgoing NLA-Rx director Cheryl Rivers is stepping down because she is running for lieutenant governor in Vermont. The move and Treat’s new job begin on Sept. 1.

NLA-Rx is a bipartisan association that helps state legislators in nine states learn ways to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable and to reduce prescription costs, according to a press release from the association.

Treat is considered a leader in helping consumers afford prescriptions, and took up where former Senate Majority Leader Chellie Pingree – the sponsor of Maine Rx, which provides discounts to those without drug insurance – left off.

“The association is fortunate to have the most qualified person in the United States agreeing to serve in this role to help state legislators learn more about strategies for reducing prescriptions drug costs,” said state Rep. David Lemoine, D-Old Orchard Beach, the association’s chairman.

David Catania, a Washington, D.C., City Council member and another NLA-Rx board member, agreed. Treat’s leadership “will be incredibly valuable as we continue to demand greater accountability from drug manufacturers,” he said.

A recent AARP study showed that drug costs continue to rise above inflation, and that new Medicare discounts have been eaten by rising prices. In recent months the country’s largest drug companies have raised their prices on the prescriptions most prescribed to seniors from 4.8 percent to 7.2 percent, the study found.

Treat, a lawyer who has served in the Legislature for 14 years, said there are few jobs as rewarding as serving in the Maine Senate, but heading NLA-Rx will allow her to continue the work she has begun. With a health care system in crisis and prescription costs a big part of the problem, Treat said she is looking forward to putting her experience and contacts to work.

The association is now working on expanding membership to all states, starting joint state negotiations for lower drug prices, and partnering with the Heinz Family Philanthropies to create a nonprofit pharmacy benefits manager. Current membership includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and Hawaii. More information may be obtained on the Internet at www.nlarx.org.