Doug Bereuter: “this Member rises in support of this measure and to express his pleasure at seeing this much needed legislation finally…”

“this Member rises in support of this measure and to express his pleasure at seeing this much needed legislation finally brought before this body. This Member introduced the first product liability legislation in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature in 1977. During this process this Member realized that this issue must be dealt with on the Federal level, because the vast majority of products and services move through interstate commerce. Addressing product liability at the state level is like patching one hole in a tire with fifty holes. Now, finally, this issue is being debated on the House floor after years of being bottled-up in committee by the trial attorneys and the former chairmen of the respective committees. Mr. Speaker, all Americans are paying much higher prices for consumer goods and services because this legislation has been delayed for so very long. The insurance costs incurred by companies protecting against and paying for outrageous and unreasonable product liability suits are passed along to the consumer each and every day, in nearly every product and service purchased. Perhaps even more outrageously, the current system unfairly imposes upon the American public product design standards, which are created in response to penalties awarded in a few states with the highest punitive and compensatory damages. Those States get to impose their juries' ideas of appropriate design and safety standards on the rest of the Nation.”