Information about the vote from special interest groups and other information providers in our Report Cards:
NAACP
CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT RESTRICTIONS.
Final passage of a bill to prohibit class-action lawsuits unless each member of the class suffered the same type and degree of injury. H.R. 985 passed the House; no further action has been taken on the legislation.
American Conservative Union
HR 985 Tort Reform.
This bill reforms the laws that govern class action lawsuits to make sure that these lawsuits truly represent a “class” of people who have suffered the same injury. Among other provisions, it requires certification that no relatives or former employees or clients of counsel are involved, limits attorney fees and requires proof that those represented have actually agreed to participate. This group supports reform of class action lawsuits that are often more for the benefit of attorneys than clients and supported this bill. The House passed the bill.
AFL-CIO
Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act.
This legislation would invade the privacy of asbestos victims by posting personal exposure and medical information online and create new barriers to victims receiving compensation for asbestos disease. It would give unfettered access to employers, insurance companies, workers compensation carriers and others who could use this information for any purpose including blacklisting workers from employment and fighting compensation claims. The bill passed the House amended.
The National Association of Manufacturers
HR985 Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2017.
Vote on H.R. 985, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017. The bill would help eliminate “non-injurious” litigation by ensuring that federal courts certify classes appropriately. The bill requires that a class be composed of members with injuries of the same type and scope. The bill would also reduce fraud within the asbestos trust fund system by providing needed transparency, requiring trusts to disclose information quarterly on their claims payments and to cooperate in requests for information on claims.