February 3, 2005

The Class Action Fairness Act has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 13-5. Majority Leader Frist may bring the bill to the floor of the Senate as early as next week.

For more discussion on the Act, see my posting July 9, and links therein.

UPDATE: Business Insurance has some of the lovely details of the committee's proceedings. Committee Chairman Arlen Specter did not support any amendments in committee markup, instead insisting that amendments be introduced on the Senate floor.

At one point, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., began pounding the table in opposition to the bill as he praised plaintiffs attorneys, maintaining that their tenacity helps force corporations to clean up their operations. "This isn't the Class Action Fairness Act—this is the Class Action Moratorium Act," added Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.

Sen. Specter said the Senate leadership intends to begin consideration of the measure on Monday. At that time, "there will be plenty of time for floor debate," he said.