On the recordJanuary 7, 2016
I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today against another handout to corporate interests, this time needlessly limiting access to courts for American consumers and workers. The bill we would consider under this rule is the second blow in a one-two punch for American families. We kicked off 2016 by defunding Planned Parenthood and, effectively, repealing the Affordable Care Act. Now we are considering legislation that would limit class action lawsuits, and needlessly threaten the privacy of asbestos victims, as well as other victims of faulty product designs, negligence, and dangerous environmental occurrences. The end goal is obvious: enable corporations to avoid both blame and accountability when they have harmed consumers or knowingly exposed workers to toxic chemicals. I wish that I were more surprised, but I am not. The truth is clear in this bill. It is just the next step in Republican efforts to lift corporate interests above any level of scrutiny, endangering citizens and consumers in the process. Our courts are a cornerstone of justice for everyday Americans. We need to find ways to expand, not restrict, access to our legal system for victims. Class actions have cleaned up the environment after oil spills, banned cigarette ads aimed at children, and policed price-fixing on Wall Street, among many other things.…
