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John Engler
President
National Association of Manufacturers
Dan Pero
President
American Justice Partnership
Steve Hantler
Chairman
American Justice Partnership
Hon. Haley Barbour
Governor
Mississippi
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Washington, DC,
January 26, 2005—In an effort to bolster legal reform in the
states, the
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) today
officially launched the American Justice Partnership (AJP). The
partnership brings together, for the first time, leading
national and state organizations to coordinate the fight for
effective legal reform.
NAM President and
former Governor of Michigan John Engler announced at a
news conference this morning that Dan Pero, former chief
of staff to Gov. Engler, will lead the partnership. They were
joined by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a leading
proponent of state legal reform who successfully led a reform
effort in Mississippi.
“As a governor, I saw
firsthand how an out-of-control, unpredictable legal climate can
negatively impact the economic vitality of just about every
segment of state commerce, hurting job creation and the well
being of families,” said Engler. “The average American family
of four pays a ‘litigation tax’ of more than $3,300 a year—in
higher prices for the products they buy, insurance rates and
health care costs.”
“Mississippi had the
worst lawsuit abuse in the country,” said Gov. Barbour. “It was
hurting health care and reducing job creation. Working together
with the legislature, in which Democrats have majorities in both
houses, we enacted the most comprehensive tort reform bill in
the country. We’ve put an end to lawsuit abuse in Mississippi.”
“As president of the
NAM, I’ve traveled across this country to meet with business
leaders and job providers who have shared their concerns about a
legal system run amok,” Engler continued. “The story is always
the same: frivolous lawsuits, venue abuse, and jackpot justice
are strangling job growth, undermining economic development, and
creating a climate that threatens businesses everywhere, large
and small.”
“We aggressively pursued
change in Michigan during my 12 years as governor and succeeded
in passing sweeping reforms to a legal climate that was once
hostile to business.
Today, Michigan is a
better place to start a business or find a doctor because of the
many legal reforms we were able to enact. The court system is
working better, with fewer delays and fewer appeals, all because
our judicial system—under the leadership of America’s finest
state Supreme Court—has become more predictable,” said Engler.
America has the most
expensive tort system in the world, costing $246 billion a year,
or 2.23 percent of GDP, compared to less than 1 percent of GDP
in Japan, France, Canada, and the UK. “‘Trial Lawyers Inc.’
rakes in more than $40 billion annually, more than the revenue
of Microsoft or Intel, and nearly double that of Coca-Cola,”
Engler noted.
“The American Justice
Partnership brings new vision and new muscle to the fight for
legal reform,” said AJP President Dan Pero. “The time has never
been better to focus on this issue. Tort reform is a high
priority in many states. With President Bush speaking out
forcefully on the issue, more and more citizens are beginning to
realize the extent of the problem.”
The AJP will work closely
with its various partners, consistent with their missions and
bylaws, to:
• Support pro-reform
candidates for governor, the state legislature, supreme court,
and attorney general;
• Enact pro-reform state
legislation and adopt court rules that curb frivolous lawsuits;
and,
• Enhance public
understanding about the importance of legal reform and the need
to become more politically involved.
“If, collectively, we can
succeed here, we believe a fundamental change in behavior will
occur and the process of reversing America’s ‘lawsuit happy’
culture can begin,” concluded Pero.
AJP partners include the
American Tort Reform Association, Washington Legal Foundation,
Manhattan Institute, Center for Individual Freedom, American
Legislative Exchange Council, Council of State Chambers, and a
number of state manufacturing associations and chambers of
commerce.
600 South Walnut | Lansing, MI 48933 | ph.
517.371.7276
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW | Suite 600 |
Washington, DC 20004 | ph. 202.637.3000
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The NAM is the nation’s
largest industrial trade association, representing large and
small manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50
states. Visit the NAM’s web site at
www.nam.org. The AJP is a
project of the NAM, established to promote legal reform in the
states. Visit AJP’s website at
www.americanjusticepartnership.org.
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