Debbie Lesko: “I thank Representative Torres for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.…”

“I thank Representative Torres for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we all want to protect innocent people, we all want to protect the little guy, and we all want to protect the elderly. That is why I would remind my colleague that courts can and have overturned unfair arbitration clauses, and, certainly, if criminal acts have been done, criminal charges should be pursued. Today, we consider a bill that disregards private contracts and enriches the wealthiest trial attorneys. We consider a bill that my Democrat colleagues intended to protect the American people, but really it specifically carves out an application to labor unions. And why would it do that? Because the labor unions and trial lawyers are the Democrats' most ardent supporters and donors. We consider a bill that will hurt businesses and the very consumers and employees it seeks to protect. The bill's proponents advance the idea that arbitration is unfair, coercive, and harmful, but that is far from the truth. In fact, I would like to read some of the things that the U.S. Supreme Court has said about arbitration agreements in various cases.…”