Political Quotes

“I rise to oppose amendments offered to the Consumer Product Safety Commission bill by Senators Cornyn and Vitter. Before speaking about these amendments, I first commend Senator Pryor for his important work on this bill. I know he has been working on this a long time and we are, as former State attorneys general, particularly pleased to see language in this bill granting State attorneys general the authority to obtain injunctive relief against entities that violate consumer protection laws. I know Senator Pryor and other former attorneys general in this body understand that this authority is an efficient and effective way to enforce consumer protection laws. Unfortunately, the amendments offered by Senators Cornyn and Vitter would needlessly undercut these important protections. The Cornyn amendment adds the following language to the bill. It says: An Attorney General of a State may not enter into a contingency fee arrangement for legal or expert witness services related to a civil action under this section. I oppose inclusion of this language in the bill. As an attorney general, I was involved in Rhode Island in a very significant piece of litigation which is now successful. We have won the jury case. It was filed on behalf of tens of thousands of Rhode Island children who either had been poisoned by lead in paint or were going to be poisoned by lead in paint if nothing was done.”