Political Quotes

“I rise today as both a Member of the Committee on the Judiciary and Committee on Small Business to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2366, the Small Business Liability Reform Act of 1999, and I would like to commend my colleague from the Committee on the Judiciary, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rogan), for his leadership in this area. Small businesses with 25 or fewer full-time workers employ nearly 60 percent of the American workforce. Their continued vitality is essential to our strong economy. However, just one lawsuit, frivolous or not, can easily destroy a small business. Today, small businesses operate in constant fear that they will be named as a defendant in a lawsuit, be found minimally responsible for the claimant's harm, and be financially crushed under the weight of damages and attorneys' fees and the rest. According to a recent Gallop survey, one out of every five small businesses decides not to hire more employees, not to expand its business, not to introduce a new product or not to improve an existing product out of fear of litigation.”