Arlen Specter: “very briefly on the pending amendment offered by the distinguished Senator from Alabama, I think the debate this evening…”

“very briefly on the pending amendment offered by the distinguished Senator from Alabama, I think the debate this evening has been very useful. The comments by the distinguished Senator from Utah are cogent. We have had the hearings as noted by Senator Hatch in the Judiciary Committee. It is tempting to eliminate the very substantial tax break which is presented in the reconciliation bill. Perhaps that is something that can be done now although the considerations advanced by the Senator from Utah are very weighty. The amendment offered by the Senator from Alabama to curtail the attorney's fees is very much worth considering. I am not sure that the proper place for it is on this bill because we really do not know all the underlying facts. When you talk about $250 an hour, that is a substantial sum of money on an hourly rate. When you talk about a total of $5 million, that is a substantial sum of money. The reports are that the attorney's fees in the agreement run into the billions.”