mr. speaker , to understand the need for s. 5 , we need to understand the game the class action lawyers play here and how they go about abusing the court systems .  i call it class action monopoly .  here is how it works .  they start at go .  the first thing they do is come up with an idea for a lawsuit .  and then they find a named plaintiff .  it does not have to be someone who is actually injured in the process .  all the lawyer really needs is an idea for a lawsuit and potential defendants who have deep pockets .  next they find a person who is the named plaintiff .  that named plaintiff is a citizen of the same state as one of the defendants and that puts them in the state court , which is where they want to be .  sometimes they have to promise to pay off that named plaintiff at this point , but that is all part of the game .  next the lawyers level their allegations , both in court and in the media .  remember , they do not have to have proof for their allegations .  they just need a forum in which to make the allegations .  now the real fun begins after you have made the allegations .  they are in state court with the named plaintiffs and their allegations , and it is time to get out of rule 23 free .  rule 23 is the rule that would apply in federal courts that defines when a class action can be certified consistent with fundamental fairness and due process considerations .  but in this game , there is no fairness .  there is no due process .  so they easily convince their magnet state to certify that they have a class and at the same time they file copycat lawsuits in state courts all over the country .  these are the same class actions asserting the same claims on behalf of the same people .  these copycat lawsuits clog the state courts .  at this point in the game , the lawyers start making the money .  let us see where the money goes .  in the columbia house record case , the lawyers took home $ 5 million and the plaintiffs got a coupon for discounts on future purchases of records .  in the blockbuster case , the lawyers walked away with $ 9.25 million , and the plaintiffs again got a coupon for $ 1 off their next video rental , coupons that the defendant probably would have issued anyway .  in the bank of boston case , the lawyers settled the case and took home $ 8.5 million .  and the customers had money deducted from their mortgage accounts to pay off the lawyers .  so in the end , a state court approved these cases , and all of the consumers in the lawsuit lost money .  people may be wondering what happens to them in this game .  we already know that if one is a consumer , in the consumer class , they will be lucky if they get a dollar-off coupon .  if the business one works for gets sued in one of the class actions , their employer is going to take a major hit and maybe even lay them off .  it is that clear in some of these cases , the basic result is that the lawyers will get lots of money , but consumers will pay because health care and car insurance premiums will go through the roof .  and when the game comes to an end , they are left with no money and the lawyers are at `` go '' and they get to start the process all over again .  it is fundamentally important that we resolve this problem and help america move forward .  i urge support of s. 5 .  