Political Quotes

“S. 648 is a bill relating to product liability reported about 1 year ago by the Senate Commerce Committee. That bill is identical or nearly identical to the product liability legislation that passed both Houses of Congress in the last Congress and was vetoed by President Clinton. As and when the motion to proceed is agreed to, Senator Rockefeller and I will propose an amendment in the nature of a substitute on the same subject, product liability, somewhat more modest in scope than the bill that was vetoed by the President. It is the result of more than 1 year of careful and detailed negotiation involving myself, other members of this party, Senator Rockefeller and various of his allies, and the Office of the President of the United States. The willingness of the President of the United States to sign a product liability bill in the form of this substitute is due to the untiring and diligent efforts of the junior Senator from West Virginia, who has literally been tireless in pursuing a solution to a question that involved his time and my time for well over a decade, and a willingness to pursue it in a White House from which a veto emanated almost 2 years ago. The bill, of course, is not as broad as the one that was then vetoed or the bill that was passed out by the Commerce Committee. Nevertheless, it does bring a significant degree of rationality and predictability to product liability litigation.”