Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, frankly this amendment is not just wrong, it does not make any sense at all. What the other side is proposing to do here will not have the effect that they are suggesting. They are limiting the options of those who would bring class action lawsuits against some of these corporations that they refer to. There are many instances now in which a case cannot be brought in Federal court because of this diversity rule which could be brought against those corporations; in my State of Virginia, for example, a State that does not recognize class action lawsuits, so making it easier to bring actions in Federal court is not something that is going to harm these corporations whatsoever. As explained during the Committee on the Judiciary markup, the purpose of this amendment is to discourage companies from moving their parent entities offshore, to turn them into foreign corporations in order to achieve tax advantages. Thus, although this amendment does not seek to derail enactment of the core provision of the bill, that is, the provisions expanding Federal diversity jurisdiction over interstate class actions, it would preclude companies owned by foreign or offshore companies from exercising that change. This effort to establish tax policy through procedural and jurisdictional rules applicable to civil litigation is truly bizarre, the ultimate non sequitur.”