[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 132 (Monday, September 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8059-H8060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  APPLAUDING THE ATRA FOR SETTING ASIDE LAST WEEK AS NATIONAL LAWSUIT 
                          ABUSE AWARENESS WEEK

  (Mrs. NORTHUP asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. NORTHUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the American Tort 
Reform Association for setting aside last week as the National Lawsuit 
Abuse Awareness Week to remind the American public of the problems and 
the promise of our legal system.
  Last week served as a reminder that Congress and the President have a 
real opportunity to do something about those abuses this year by 
passing and signing the Federal product liability legislation. Reform 
legislation can go far in curbing abuses, spurring economic 
development, and helping consumers, particularly women, who have been 
harmed by the current legal system.
  For example, women are adversely affected by the near shutdown of 
contraceptive research in the United States due to the manufacturers' 
fears

[[Page H8060]]

of lawsuit. Those same fears are actually keeping women out of clinical 
studies.
  Furthermore, women own 30 percent of all small businesses in America. 
That number is predicted to be at 40 percent by the turn of the 
century. Federal legislation will help remove unnecessary and 
unreasonable burdens on these job creators.
  I applaud the ATRA for its work and look forward to working with my 
colleagues to see product liability reform legislation enacted into law 
this year.

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