mr. speaker , i 'm pleased join my colleagues here today who support taking a historic first step to breaking one of the main shackles holding back our economy and america 's workforce -- lawsuit abuse .  for the last decade , the republican congress has worked to end out of control lawsuits .  today is the day we will pass common-sense legislation and put an end to class action lawsuit abuse .  i particularly want to praise the efforts of house judiciary chairman jim sensenbrenner for his relentless work .  without his stewardship , i do n't think th achievement would have become a reality .  i come from illinois -- the land of lincoln -- where downstate madison county has the dubious distinction as a personal injury lawyer 's paradise .  no , there are not palm trees or sandy beaches there .  instead , madison county , illinois , is home to very warm courtrooms where frivolous lawsuits are filed virtually everyday .  why 's madison county ?  the answer : `` venue shopping. '' cagey trial lawyers have figured out there 's a pretty good likelihood their case -- no matter what its merit -- will literally get its day in court because of favorable judges .  to use a sports analogy , thanks to willing judges , personal injury lawyers get to play on their `` home court '' each and every time they file a frivolous lawsuit there .  for instance , a legendary class action case from madison county illustrates what 's wrong with the current legal system .  in 2000 , cable tv customers who filed suit over their cable operator 's late fee policy won their case , but received nothing ... ..  not a dime , not a nickel , not a lincoln penny .  instead , their $ 5.6 million settlement went directly into the pockets of their attorneys .  how is that justice ?  how does that help victims ?  the american people deserve better .  our working families demand better .  today 's action takes a step in the right direction to end the so-called tort tax .  the tort tax makes consumers pay more for the goods and services they use .  the tort tax adds to the cost of everything we buy because businesses and manufacturers have to cover themselves and their employees -- just in case they get sued by a greedy personal injury lawyer .  at last estimate , this outrageous tort tax cost the nation 's economy $ 246 billion a year , and by 2006 , it will cost the average american nearly $ 1 , 000 more each year on their purchases because of defensive business practices .  in closing , as a matter of principle , damage awards should go to the victim , not the lawyers .  lawsuits should not be `` strike it rich '' schemes for lawyers .  there has to be some limit to what lawyers can take from their clients .  otherwise , cagey attorneys end up with the lion 's share of the settlement and the victims end up with little more than scraps .  