Dec 30, 2011 – Congressman Tom McClintock – The Plunder of Colfax
December 30, 2011
Congressman McClintock introduced H.R. 3544 on December 1st.
The legislation offers litigatory reforms for local communities.
The Congressman discussed the bill in a House floor speech titled “The Plunder of Colfax:”
……”Today, I am introducing legislation to offer six reforms to protect other communities from going through the same nightmare as the people of Colfax:
- First, to limit private-party lawsuits to issues of significant non-compliance rather than harmless paperwork errors;
- Second, to shield local agencies from liability for acts beyond their control;
- Third, to give local agencies 60 days to cure a violation before legal action can be initiated;
- Fourth, to allow communities to amortize the cost of new facilities over a period of 15 years before new requirements can be heaped on them;
- Fifth, to require a cost-benefit analysis before new regulations can be imposed;
- And sixth, to limit attorney fees to the prevailing fees in the community.”….. More