John Cornyn: “Despite what the bill's opponents wish the Senate to believe, the CPSC Reform Act is not about plaintiffs' attorneys and…”

“Despite what the bill's opponents wish the Senate to believe, the CPSC Reform Act is not about plaintiffs' attorneys and it is not about allowing state officials to reward their friends or pursue a political agenda. Those are entirely spurious attacks by the bill's opponents, deliberately designed to change the subject and undermine the Senate's will to enact the bill's tough, new standards for manufacturers. Congress has no business (and no constitutional authority!) telling state governments they may not enter into contracts that are perfectly legal under state law. Prohibiting state attorney generals from entering into lawful contracts with private attorneys is designed for one purpose only: to discourage the use of the very enforcement tools that the CPSC Reform Bill sets out to enact. Opponents of the bill know that occasionally state governments will lack the necessary financial resources or the requisite expertise to themselves handle complicated civil actions.”