Patricia Schroeder: “Look, this bill is doing something very drastic. It is changing the entire legal system of this country as it has worked…”

“Look, this bill is doing something very drastic. It is changing the entire legal system of this country as it has worked since the country began. And this bill has been written and rewritten and rewritten, and we do not even know who the final author is. It has been like a fast-bill breeder reactor and a fast-amendment breeder reactor, and, as you see, they are now changing the rule one more time because they want to change some more amendments. I think really we must vote down this rule because we do not know what we are doing. Let me emphasize again what the gentleman from New Mexico said about title II. This goes far beyond product liability. We are saying in title II the Federal Government knows best and we are going to preempt all sorts of State laws. You heard some of them last night. In New Jersey they allow punitive damages against any person that sexually abuses a child. Well, if we pass this bill, we are going to put a cap on it. And in all sorts of States, they allow punitive damages for someone who has been killed by a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Do you think we should put a cap on that and say they did not have any idea what they were doing? Other States have put on punitive damages for people who are selling drugs to children.”