[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 1, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1486-E1487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           H.R. 732, STOP SETTLEMENT SLUSH FUNDS ACT OF 2017

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 2017

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to today in opposition to the so-
called Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017 (H.R. 732).
  The Department of Justice has long had the authority to enter into 
and enforce settlement agreements on behalf of the United States 
government. This includes payments to third parties that help right the 
wrongs caused by an entity that has broken the law.
  For instance, the government can negotiate a settlement that allows 
payments to groups like nonprofits that help aid in the recovery of the 
individuals and communities hurt by unlawful conduct. These third-party 
payments are particularly important when it is impossible

[[Page E1487]]

to quantify all of the harm done, as is often true of environmental 
cases.
  When a corporation responsible for dumping waste into a waterway or 
emitting pollutants into the air agrees to this type of settlements, 
the non-profits they pay restore coastlines, rebuild ecosystems, and 
often coordinate cleanup activities. This legislation threatens that 
critical remediation and recovery work.
  The Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017 ends this common-sense 
practice by prohibiting the U.S. government from entering into or 
enforcing settlement agreements that require payments to third parties. 
It also makes it much more difficult to provide relief for damage that 
is more generalized and non-quantifiable. When a power plant dirties 
the air of a community, the number of visits to the doctor or new cases 
of asthma cannot be precisely measured. That does not mean that they 
should not be held responsible for the harm they caused.
  House Republicans have used the first 10 months of this Congress to 
do little more than push policies that reduce corporate accountability 
and line the pockets of corporate bad actors. I oppose the Stop 
Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017.

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