mr. speaker , i rise today to support the rule and the underlying legislation ; and i want to thank my colleague from georgia for yielding me time .  mr. speaker , we have all received the class action settlement notices in our mail boxes , i know i have , not even realizing we were part of a class action lawsuit nor ever asking to be part of the lawsuit .  and not only that , but you never get to meet this attorney who will represent you .  as consumers , we need to know that we will eventually bear the cost of these companies that have to settle large class actions because it is easier to settle than to try to litigate against the trial lawyers .  earlier this week , the georgia general assembly moved forward with major legislation to reform the legal system , something i fought for during my time there .  this legislation continues that effort and takes a huge step forward to protect consumers by limiting these huge interstate class action lawsuits .  mr. speaker , federal courts have had jurisdiction over substantial cases between citizens of different states since the founding of this nation .  but due to the interpretations of the laws , state courts have had to bear the brunt of class action lawsuits in this country .  this legislation is a fantastic bipartisan effort to reform the legal system and is a good first step toward addressing the costs of litigation on small businesses , large businesses , and all americans .  i encourage my colleagues to support this effort ; and i appreciate the leadership shown by the speaker , the majority leader , and the chairman of the committee on the judiciary towards getting this legislation passed through the senate and on the desk of the president .  i urge my colleagues to support this measure , the rule and the legislation .  