Stephanie Mencimer

The Business Lobby’s 2007 Agenda

Cross-posted from The Tortellin

One nice thing about big corporate business groups is that they spend a lot of money telling the world exactly how they plan to spend the next year screwing over the little guy. Today the U.S. Chamber of Commerce held a press conference to spell out their priorities for the year. Naturally, even though the media have already declared business the winner in this old fight, the agenda includes a bunch of new legal “reform” initiatives.

Legislation reining in securities litigation tops the chamber’s list, along with measures to limit discovery and mass medical screenings, and passing the federal asbestos trust fund. The chamber also plans to continue meddling in off-year state judicial elections and lobbying for legislative “improvements” in the “problem states” of California, Louisiana, Texas and Wisconsin. State attorney generals are still a big target, especially those who have the nerve to make contingency fee contracts with outside counsel. Read the full report here.

One thing not on the list: Defending chamber prez Tom Donohue from lawsuits over his performance on several corporate boards. Rumor has it that he’s in the crosshairs of some pissed off securities lawyers this year. Read more here about their potential ammunition…

Posted at 10:00 AM, Jan 05, 2007 in Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)