[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            CORPORATE GREED

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, blatant acts of fraud and 
misgovernance by executives of some of America's largest companies, 
most of them large contributors to President Bush, have destroyed the 
retirement accounts of millions of Americans. But rather than focus on 
legislation that will increase corporate account bills, the President 
and House Republicans are pushing for another huge giveaway to 
corporate America, Fast Track trade legislation.
  The Fast Track agreement opens the door to expansion of NAFTA-style 
investor rules that empower foreign corporations to sue State and local 
governments for billions of dollars if consumer and environmental laws 
interfere with their profits.
  A Canadian chemical company has used NAFTA to attack clean water laws 
in California. A U.S. toxic waste handler successfully challenged the 
right of a desperately poor Mexican community to block the company from 
building a toxic dump on top of their water supply.
  A new study from Tufts University says NAFTA-style corporate lawsuits 
will eventually line the pocket of global corporations with $32 billion 
per year in U.S. taxpayer funds.
  I urge this House to oppose Fast Track when it returns to the House.

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