Hilda L. Solis: “I would like to also voice my strong opposition to this bill, H.R. 1115. This bill is worse than what we saw last year…”

“I would like to also voice my strong opposition to this bill, H.R. 1115. This bill is worse than what we saw last year, and it would be applied retroactively to pending cases, including those brought by employees at Enron for financial fraud, Dow Chemical for environmental charges, and Wal-Mart for employment discrimination against women. In midstream the bill would strip the rights of plaintiffs in these cases, causing expensive and wasteful interruption of their pursuit for justice and equal treatment under the law. In the wake of corporate scandals, workers in our country have lost well over $175 billion in retirement savings. Let us look at the real facts here. In California alone, workers have lost over $18 billion in retirement savings. At a time when we should be holding corporations more accountable, not less, their bill sends the wrong message. Congress should stand up and protect consumers, employees, pensioners, and not corporate wrongdoers. They call this the Class Action Fairness bill? I am sorry. In my language it is a mentiras. That means it is a lie. I urge my colleagues to please vote for the Sandlin-Conners substitute.”