Angie Craig: “But the Senator has very clearly pointed out there could well have been side agreements made or upfront agreements that…”

“But the Senator has very clearly pointed out there could well have been side agreements made or upfront agreements that go beyond any average person's wildest imagination to the potential of tens of billions of dollars in attorney's fees. Here tonight the Senator from Illinois--and just a month ago this Senate agreed to tax an industry for the purpose of the health of the children of this country, a tax that in 1 year would not even demonstrate this amount of money. How can it be possible that any one profession could draw or come to draw or believe to be entitled to that amount of money? And $250 an hour is a what the Senator's amendment says is a reasonable and right fee, and even that the average working person would pale to. So I am extremely pleased that the Senator this evening has brought forward the amendment. It is something that this Senate will either face now or face in the future as we deal with the crafting of a universal agreement, if that becomes possible and ultimately gets to the floor of this Senate. I will join with the Senator however many times it takes to make sure that what he has proposed as an amendment tonight can and must become the law of the land, because in his wisdom and in the crafting of this amendment, he says that the excess dollars go where they ought to go, to children's health because all of us are extremely concerned about the rapid increase in teenage smoking in this country.”