[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H2733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1130
                   TIME FOR COMMONSENSE LEGAL REFORM

  (Mr. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday this body began the 
monumental task of reforming America's legal system.
  Mr. Speaker, for too many years ridiculous legal judgments have been 
handed down in frivolous lawsuits where the only real winners are the 
lawyers.
  Mr. Speaker, some have suggested that we should leave this up to the 
individual States to decide. I am a true federalist at heart and I 
believe that in States where the State statute is stronger than the 
Federal law that State law should prevail. But there are States where 
the abuses of the judicial system have run amuck.
  Case in point, Alabama. Steve Flowers is a 13-year veteran of the 
Alabama legislature and chairman of the Insurance Committee for the 
Alabama House.
  In 1987 Mr. Flowers was the primary sponsor of Alabama's legal reform 
legislation, but he now strongly favors Federal legislation in this 
area.
  Why? Because in 1993 the Alabama Supreme Court in Henderson versus 
Alabama Power Company ruled that the Alabama legislature did not have 
the authority to impose limits on punitive damages.
  Mr. Speaker, in the first 11 months of 1994, juries in Alabama 
awarded more than $170 million in punitive damages, not including 
wrongful death actions.
  The time is now for true commonsense legal reform. This body must act 
now to turn the tide of lawsuit abuse and pass this measure to protect 
hard working Americans from the long arm of the trial lawyers.

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