madam speaker , for the purpose of debate only , i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. mcgovern ) xz4002630 , pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
during consideration of this resolution , all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only . 
madam speaker , house resolution 508 is a structured rule . 
it provides for 1 hour of general debate , equally divided and controlled by the chairman and the ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary . 
it waives all points of order against consideration of the bill , and it provides that the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on the judiciary now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read . 
it makes in order only those amendments printed in the rules committee report accompanying the resolution . 
it provides that the amendments printed in the report may be offered only in the order printed , may be offered only by the member designated in the report , shall be considered as read , shall be debatable for the time specified in the report , equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent , shall not be subject to amendment , and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole . 
this resolution waives all points of order against the amendments printed in the report , and it provides one motion to recommit , with or without instructions . 
madam speaker , i rise today in support of house resolution 508 and the underlying legislation , h.r. 420 , the lawsuit abuse reduction act of 2005 . 
first , i want to commend the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. sensenbrenner ) xz4003650 , the distinguished chairman of the committee on the judiciary , not just for the underlying bill but for a number of recent bills aimed at strengthening our legal system by protecting people 's rights under the law and shielding them from frivolous proceedings . 
additionally , i want to thank the gentleman from texas ( mr. smith ) xz4003802 , the chairman of the subcommittee on the courts , the internet , and intellectual property , for sponsoring h.r. 420 . 
madam speaker , over the past couple of weeks , this house has taken several important steps to reform our legal system , to relieve our overburdened court dockets and drastically reduce the number of costly frivolous claims against innocent and legitimate businesses . 
on october 24 , we passed and sent to the president 's desk s. 397 , the lawful commerce in arms act of 2005 , by a vote of 283 to 144 in the house . 
i might add that in the spirit of bipartisanship , 59 democrats and one independent joined 223 republicans in passing this landmark legislation that refocuses liability for gun violence on the actual criminal , the person who pulled the trigger . 
additionally in this house , 226 republicans , along with 80 democrats , passed h.r. 554 , the personal responsibility in food consumption act of 2005 . 
this bill also reaffirms the need for individuals to take responsibility for their own actions and not expect someone else to foot the bill for the adverse health consequences of their own gluttony . 
today , madam speaker , we have another prime opportunity to pass meaningful legislation to strengthen our court system even further and to protect the falsely accused . 
the lawsuit abuse reduction act of 2005 will go a long way to curb the actions of individuals who would seek to abuse our courts by gaming the judicial system . 
last week , there were probably millions of people across this country who tuned in , ticket in hand , to see if they had won a $ 340 million powerball jackpot . 
unfortunately , there are also people who look to the courts , legal briefs in hand , as if it were the powerball lottery . 
however , madam speaker , it is the american people and small businesses that pay the ultimate price for frivolous lawsuits and this type of jackpot justice . 
they pay for it through higher prices for goods and services , they pay for it through diminished quality of products , they pay for it through loss of economic freedom , and they pay for it through a clogged court system that has been turned into an atm for junk lawsuits . 
in fact , the current tort system is estimated to cost american people well over $ 200 billion per year . 
clearly , the lawsuit abuse reduction act of 2005 is a bill that is sorely overdue , sorely needed and , i might add , was approved by this house in the last congress by a vote of 229 to 174 . 
with respect to the underlying bill , it would amend rule 11 of the federal rules of civil procedure by restoring the mandatory sanctions for the filing of frivolous lawsuits . 
this bill would require that courts impose an appropriate penalty on attorneys , law firms , or parties who continue to file frivolous lawsuits . 
also this bill would eliminate the `` free pass '' provision that allows attorneys to avoid sanctions if they withdraw their frivolous claim after a motion for sanctions has been filed . 
madam speaker , h.r. 420 also would prevent forum shopping by requiring that personal injury cases only be brought in those jurisdictions either where the plaintiff , the defendant or a related business resides , or where the alleged injury or surrounding circumstances occurred . 
this act would also institute a three-strikes-and-you're-out sanction that would suspend an attorney from practicing in federal court if a federal judge determines the lawyer has violated rule 11 on three or more occasions . 
h.r. 420 clearly emphasizes that personal responsibility is not just some catch phrase that applies only to some people , such as a fast-food connoisseur , a firearms owner , a consumer or , indeed , a doctor . 
personal responsibility and professional accountability should be the rule for those in the legal field , too , and that is why this house should pass this bill . 
in closing , madam speaker , i would just emphasize that house resolution 508 is a straightforward rule and h.r. 420 is a straightforward bill . 
simply put , it just makes sense to stop and punish the willful abuse of our legal system by the slash-and-burn tactics of frivolous lawsuits . 
as always , i look forward to the consideration of this rule , and i ask my colleagues to support it and the underlying bill . 
madam speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
