President Bush won a political victory on Capitol Hill today when the House of Representatives passed a bill that will place severe limits on class action lawsuits. The bill had passed the Senate a week ago and the president is expected to sign it shortly.

The bill will confine most large class action suits to federal courts which should lower damage award amounts and the amount lawyers can win in attorneys fees.

'Today marks the culmination of near a decade of legislative efforts to end systematic abuse of our nation's class action system,' said Wisconsin Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner. Sensenbrenner serves as the House Judiciary Chairman.

Republicans have claimed that lawyers are making more money off class action suits than the actual victims are making and that the system is being abused. Democrats say the Republicans are just trying to protect big business from liability when their products do harm and preventing citizens from having their day in court.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat warned consumers, 'Mr. and Mrs. America, let me tell you something. When this legislation passes on the Republican clock, I'm going to tell you that the doors of the courthouse will be closed to you.'

The bill will restrict class action lawsuits to federal court unless the defendant and one-third of the plaintiffs are from the same state. Lawyers fees would also be limited especially in cases where the plaintiffs are awarded non-monetary compensation such as vouchers or discount coupons.