mr. speaker , i agree with this bill 's intent to prevent the legal system from being `` gamed '' by attorneys who lump thousands of speculative claims into a single class action lawsuit and then seek out a sympathetic state court .  any abusive or frivolous class action is a drain on the system and forces innocent defendants to settle cases rather than play judicial roulette with the risk of a huge unjustified settlement .  unfortunately , instead of narrowly focusing on such abuses , senate bill 5 completely reconfigures the judicial system , resulting in diminished corporate accountability and fundamental legal rights of individuals .  while this bill makes some improvements to limit frivolous lawsuits , it does so at a price that will make it harder for average americans to successfully pursue real claims against interests that violate their states ' consumer health , civil rights , and environmental protection laws .  this is an unnecessary tradeoff .  i voted for a democratic substitute motion which would have minimized some of these abuses .  sadly , it was defeated and , as a result , i voted against final passage .  i will continue to be open to changes that make our judicial system work better , but not at the expense of the people i represent .  it is essential that we hold accountable the forces that have so much impact on the lives of every american .  