mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me time , and i congratulate him and the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. kind )  for their leadership in proposing this good democratic substitute .  mr. chairman , here we go again .  the madness continues .  once again , the republicans must prove that they are the handmaidens of the special interests by putting this bill on the floor today .  just when we should be talking about creating good jobs for the american people , expanding access to quality health care , broadening opportunity in education , having a strong national defense and doing it all in a fiscally sound way , the republicans are wasting the time of this congress and testing the patience of the american people with legislation that is frivolous .  it is something that is , again , another reflection of the culture of cronyism that exists under the republican leadership in washington , dc .  this legislation before us again seeks to protect their friends .  the outrageous venue provisions in the republican bill give defendant corporations special advantages by overriding state minimum-contact provisions and limiting the locations in which a suit can be brought and could render foreign corporations out of reach of the american justice system .  today , we will take the opportunity to address the republican culture of cronyism .  the gentleman from georgia ( mr. barrow )  will be offering a motion to recommit to make sure that politically connected cronies and no-bid contractors that defraud and cheat the government in providing goods and service after a natural disaster will never again be able to use these special bids .  they should never be used by government contractors that specifically intend to profit excessively from the disaster .  mr. chairman , i really want to congratulate the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. kind )  and the gentleman from california ( mr. schiff )  for putting together a really excellent substitute to get rid of loopholes in the republican bill that favors big corporate interests and foreign corporations and to protect civil rights claims .  we all agree that if there are frivolous lawsuits , those who bring them should pay a price .  that we will have three-strikes-you-are-out for doing that is a very important provision in the substitute .  the substitute seeks to stop the madness that exists on the floor of this house when it is used as a venue to promote the special interests in our country .  we must stand up for the american people , not for the politically connected cronies who are getting a no-bid contract .  let us take a stand to end this culture of cronyism and corruption .  let us get back to the real issues that are affecting the american people .  we must vote for this substitute and send this bill back to ensure that no one who defrauds the american people during natural disasters is ever permitted to take undue advantage of our legal system .  we must , again , stop the madness by voting for the substitute that the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. kind )  and the gentleman from california ( mr. schiff )  have proposed .  it has very excellent provisions and is worthy of the support of our colleagues .  