madam chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me time .  madam chairman , in addition to the violation of principles of federalism outlined by my colleague from north carolina , this piece of legislation is another piece in which we are taking upon ourselves the right to try a case in the legislative branch instead of respecting the separation of powers by allowing cases to be tried in the judicial branch where they belong .  instead of respecting separation of powers and honoring the rule of law and standing behind the principle that laws should be applied equally to all , we are once again giving special treatment to special cases .  the majority in congress has apparently already decided the proper outcome of these cases and is adjusting the law accordingly just for these cases , rather than trusting our laws and our courts to hear evidence from both sides and decide the cases on their merits .  if these are losing cases , then let the judicial process make that decision .  even if they are frivolous cases , the judicial branch has ways to sanction people for bringing frivolous cases ; but once again , special interests are receiving , in these cases , special treatment .  instead of having to go through the courts like everybody else , where they do not know the outcome of the case until evidence is presented and the law is applied , these defendants will get to try their cases in the legislative branch , where popularity and politics prevail .  even financial contributions are allowed .  meanwhile , everyone else without special privileges is stuck trying their cases in the courts , where they have an unbiased judge and jury , instead of favorable politicians , and they are stuck with the same law that applies to everybody else .  this is not the only recent example of special treatment .  just a few months ago , we changed the law for terri schiavo because her parents knew how to reach someone in congress ; and we ignored the multitude of judicial decisions that had already been decided , and we changed the law for that case , not cases like that , just for that case .  a few years ago , in a child custody case in the washington , dc , area that case was decided by special legislative language in a transportation appropriations bill .  the committee on education and the workforce likewise considered a case on appeal between the department of labor and a bank and voted to retroactively change the law to fix the result on behalf of the bank .  later today , as my colleague from north carolina has pointed out , the house will probably pass legislation to fix the result in firearms legislation so that the firearms industry will get to try their cases and their issues in the legislative branch , rather than being stuck with the law that applies to everybody else .  mr. chairman , trying cases in the legislative branch is bad policy .  we should honor the rule of law and apply the law in all cases .  there will always be special interests , but we should not make special laws for those who can get to a congressman to introduce a bill on their behalf .  let us honor and respect the rule of law to be applied equally to all and reject this legislation .  