Martin Frost

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Kennedy].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Kennedy].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Watt].

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question. If the previous question is defeated I intend to offer an amendment to the rule which would provide that the House will have adopted a concurrent resolution directing the Clerk to correct the enrollment of this conference report by adding the Conyers foreign manufacturers amendment, section 107 of the House passed bill. This amendment would level the playing field by subjecting foreign corporations to the same jurisdiction and discovery rules that their U.S. counterparts face. The text of my amendment as follows: amendment to rule on products liability conference report At the end of the resolution, add the following: ``Section . Upon the adoption of this resolution, the House shall be considered to have adopted a concurrent resolution directing the Clerk of the House to correct the enrollment of H.R. 956 and consisting of the text contained in the next section of this resolution. ``Section . Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That in the enrollment of the bill (H.R. 956) to establish legal standards and procedures for product liability litigation, and for other purposes, the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall make the following corrections: At the appropriate place, add the following:

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado [Mrs. Schroeder].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this conference report and to the rule providing for its consideration. This conference agreement caps punitive damage awards to consumers who have been harmed because of the products they have purchased and used. This conference agreement removes any incentive that might currently exist which makes corporations and manufacturers keep those harmful products off the market. In the name of competitiveness, the conference has proposed a new legal framework that truly lives up to the old adage, caveat emptor. Mr. Speaker, I cannot support any legislation which places profit ahead of responsibility, and which puts the bottom line ahead of public safety. This agreement, all in the name of reform for the sake of reform, takes away expected and necessary protections for workers and consumers. The American people deserve better. I urge my colleagues to defeat this conference report. I do not understand why this House should be a party to creating a legal climate that would hurt consumers who have already been injured by the negligence of product manufacturers. Mr. Speaker, the proponents of this legislation have used little hard evidence in their zeal to push for passage of this legislation. But, I submit there are real people whose real cases demonstrate precisely how the current system has improved public safety and has promoted responsible corporate behavior. For example, what would the proponents of this legislation say to the parents of the 4-year-old girl whose pajama top caught fire and who suffered second- and third-degree burns all over her upper body? Would the proponents say that there should be a cap on punitive damages when the manufacturer of the child's pajamas was well aware of the flammability of those garments? So well, in fact, that one company official admitted that the company was always sitting on a powder keg, even though treating the pajamas with flame-retardant chemicals was economically feasible? Well, Mr. Speaker, the scars on that little girl--both physical and emotional--are permanent and she bears those scars only because of the negligence of that company. The $1 million punitive damage award in that case was small recompense for that little girl and her family. And yet, this conference agreement would deny that little girl such an award. And, Mr. Speaker, it was that award that served as the prime motivator for removing those garments from the market. Or, Mr. Speaker, let's talk about defects in cribs. Two years ago, a 5-month-old baby boy died from injuries suffered from a defective crib. He died in spite of the fact that the crib's manufacturer had ignored warnings 10 years before by the U.S. Product Safety Commission of just such defects. Or, let's talk about exploding Pintos, or asbestos insulation in office buildings and in schools, or tractors that suddenly self- shift gears. There have been court cases involving all these products that have resulted in punitive damage awards to those who have been injured, maimed, or killed by them. Those punitive awards have benefited us all, Mr. Speaker, because they have forced companies to do the right thing--to fix, to recall, or to discontinue the manufacture and sale of products that injure, maim, or kill people. And so, Mr. Speaker, we too have a chance to do the right thing today for American consumers. I encourage my colleagues to take a stand and to reject this conference agreement. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Wise].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Volkmer]. (Mr. VOLKMER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Stupak].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee]. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Markey].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Doggett].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Conyers]. (Mr. CONYERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge two outstanding citizens from the city of Forth Worth who have won national education honors and made themselves shining examples to their community. When Shirley Knox-Benton, who is the principal of Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, first arrived at the school she encountered a situation where students were unable to learn. Gang violence was rampant, trash was everywhere, and good students were afraid to shine. Mr. Speaker, along with the invaluable help from some dedicated parents, Mrs. Knox-Benton turned Dunbar High around. That success has not gone unnoticed, as this week Mrs. Knox-Benton was notified that she had won a 1996 Reader's Digest American Hero in Education award along with a $10,000 check for Dunbar High and $5,000 for herself. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Knox-Benton is the first Fort Worth winner in this 8-year program. She was chosen from a pool of 650 nominees nationwide. Her commitment to excellence, and her leadership at this critical time in our Nation's education system both deserve the highest honor. Mr. Speaker, I also want to honor a student at Dunbar High, senior Kim Wood. Mr. Wood is the only student in the Fort Worth school district to win a National Achievement Scholarship for Black Americans. Mr. Wood won the award by scoring in the 98th percentile among all juniors nationwide and in the top 3 percent among black students on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test. Mr. Speaker, by winning these national honors, Mrs. Knox-Benton and Mr. Wood have held themselves up as shining examples of what can be accomplished through hard work and a dedication to success. I wish them both the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. Wise].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Pelosi].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Manton].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Meehan].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. DeLauro].

Mr. FROST. To date 9 out of 12 bills considered under rules in the 2d session of the 104th Congress, or 75 percent, have been considered under an irregular procedure which circumvents the standard committee procedure. They are as follows: H.R. 1643, to authorize the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment [MFN] to the products of Bulgaria; House Joint Resolution 134, making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 1996; H.R. 1358, conveyance of National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory at Gloucester, MA; H.R. 2924, the Social Security Guarantee Act; H.R. 3021, to guarantee the continuing full investment of social security and other Federal funds in obligations of the United States; H.R. 3019, a further down payment toward a balanced budget; H.R. 2703, the Effective Death Penalty and Public Safety Act of 1996; House Joint Resolution 165, making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 1996; and H.R. 125, the Crime Enforcement and Second Amendment Restoration Act of 1996. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Deutsch].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia [Ms. Norton].