Maxwell Frost: “this can be a complicated legal issue, but at its core, this bill that Republicans have given such a misleading name…”

“this can be a complicated legal issue, but at its core, this bill that Republicans have given such a misleading name, the Class Action Fairness Act, is very simple. Here is what it does. It protects big corporate wrongdoers like Enron and WorldCom against individuals that they harm. It makes it easier for fraudulent and unethical corporations and their executives to escape accountability for their actions. That may not be what some of its supporters intend, but that is exactly what this bill would do, and it is exactly the type of thing the Republican House has been doing for the past 8 rac{1}{2} years, turning the American people's government over to a small, elite group of the wealthiest and most powerful. We have seen it for the past week as House Republicans have tried to block tax relief for working and military families who need it the most. They gave millionaires tax breaks totaling $93,000, but they called it welfare when Democrats tried to give $150 in tax relief to the military families who need it most to feed and clothe their children. We are seeing it again here today on this class action bill. Believe it or not, the latest version of the Republican bill is even worse for consumers than the versions they have offered in the past two Congresses. That is because this one does not just protect future corporate wrongdoers, it acts retroactively to pull the rug out from under the victims of some of the worst corporate scandals in recent memory.”