Political Quotes

“the amendment is simple and straightforward. It establishes a ``loser pays'' rule for actions by attorneys general under the law. It doesn't make it mandatory, it makes it discretionary, or up to the court. But the court would be allowed to award costs and attorney's fees from the losing party to be paid by the losing party to the winning party. I think that is fair and reasonable. That essentially is the present law. It is also essentially the sort of provision that is in the House bill. In the Senate bill, the availability of fees and costs and attorney's fees is only available to the winner, if the winner is the attorney general. If the attorney general loses in those suits, if the private party prevails, the private party cannot get those costs and attorney's fees. I think that is unfair. Perhaps more important than it being unfair, I think it creates an imbalance that might encourage clogging the system, clogging the courts--perhaps most important, clogging the workload of the Consumer Product Safety Commission with unnecessary lawsuits that are not fully thought through. I think this reasonable provision--loser pays, whoever the loser is, up to the discretion of the courts, not mandatory, simply allowable, if the court decides--is the fair and balanced approach. In offering this, let me make clear that we need to do more to increase product safety. This bill does many good things in that regard. The House bill does many good things in that regard.”