In Brief: Product Liability
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Product Liability: Senate fails twice to invoke cloture May 4 on substitute amendment offered by Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA) to the "Product Liability Fairness Act" (HR 956). The substitute is a heavily amended version of the original Gorton-Rockefeller bill (S 565). The first vote (46-53) to limit debate fell short of the necessary 60 votes by a wide margin, with two Democrats, Sens. Joseph Lieberman (CT) and James Exon (NE), breaking ranks. In the second vote (47-52), Republican Strom Thurmond (R-SC) switched his vote in favor of cloture. Senate majority leader Robert Dole (R-KS) indicated before the votes that in the event of no cloture, another Gorton-Rockefeller amendment would be considered as a substitute; GOP leadership indicated that the measure is likely to be considered again during the week of May 8...