[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 164 (Thursday, November 5, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H12369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WHAT'S IN THE HEALTH CARE PACKAGE?

  (Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California asked and was given permission 
to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, if you want to know 
what's in a package, you ought to open it up and take a look at it.
  Let me just talk about one thing that's in this package we're going 
to vote on on Saturday. It's in the area of tort reform, litigation 
reform, a subject that every single audience I've spoken to in my 
district has said should be in any bill, because right now the 
litigation system puts tremendous strain on our health care system, 
adding additional trillions of dollars.
  What does this program do? It says that it's going to provide an 
opportunity for pilot projects. But if your State has on its books a 
law which says there will be any limitation on attorneys' fees or any 
limitation on damages, including noneconomic damages, you are 
ineligible to participate. So my State of California, which had medical 
malpractice reform 30 years ago, will be ineligible, will be punished.
  We're not talking about the status quo on litigation reform; we're 
talking about going back 30 years. If that's in this package, what else 
is in this package?

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