Political Quotes

“if I could reply to my distinguished colleague, that very question I entertain because I take pride in my record of some 23 years in this body to protect State laws. The first thing I did under my amendment was say, if there is a body of State law, then my amendment doesn't apply to those decisions in State courts. So I think there is some dozen or so that have a statutory framework for the regulation of attorney fees. Those States are the one side. But we find authority that it is within the power of the Congress to regulate interstate commerce. We have a proposed bill giving new rights to litigants. We believe that comes within that clause. That is how I proceed to do it. We are just very fearful, I say to my distinguished colleague, that patients will not be able to, without this authority of some cap, obtain a fair allocation of these proceeds in some few cases. I myself have a high confidence in the bar and the courts to exercise equity and fairness. In some instances, it might not prevail. We have studied cases here where some lawyers are getting $30,000 per hour, in some of these tobacco cases. Mind you, $30,000 per hour. I just think it is time that we, the Congress of the United States, do what we can within the framework of our constitutional law to exercise and put a cap on that.”