Political Quotes

“I shall have to talk fast. Mr. Chairman, 33 States have abolished joint and several liability. That is the problem. There are 33 different laws, different methods of avoiding and evading joint and several liability, which is very unfair. The serious problem of inconsistency in the tort laws of the 50 States is there. This seeks uniformity, which makes legal common sense. Mr. Chairman, let me briefly address the federalism aspect that I have heard so much about today. I have heard from Members on our side of the aisle who are troubled by our preempting of State laws. They insist that the States are important and should not be administrative districts of the Federal Government. I just want them to know what the passing of time has done to that notion. We have the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. Every aspect of life is regulated by the Federal Government. I have not mentioned the Americans with Disabilities Act, ERISA. The only facet of our great economy that is left untouched is the multibillion-dollar litigation industry.”