{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221044442/http://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/Article.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1502=47803", "Grassley Statement at Hearing on The Federal Arbitration Act and Access to Justice", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "IA", "Charles Grassley", "G000386", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Grassley Statement at Hearing on The Federal Arbitration Act and Access to JusticePrepared Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa  \nRanking Member, Senate Committee on the Judiciary  \nHearing on \u201cThe Federal Arbitration Act and  \nAccess to Justice: Will Recent Supreme Court Decisions Undermine the  \nRights of Consumers, Workers, and Small Businesses?\u201d  \nTuesday, December 16, 2013. Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing.\u00a0 It\u2019s always helpful to have experts in particular areas of the law come here to testify.\u00a0 I expect we\u2019ll learn a great deal today from our panel of witnesses.  \n\u00a0  \nThe Federal Arbitration Act was enacted in 1925 \u201cin response to widespread judicial hostility to arbitration agreements.\u201d\u00a0 Courts have held that the Federal Arbitration Act reflects the fundamental principle that arbitration is a matter of contract.\u00a0 And the Supreme Court, as we\u2019ll discuss today, has said that courts are to place arbitration agreements on equal footing with other contracts.\u00a0 We find arbitration agreements in many consumer contracts.\u00a0 These form contracts used in cell phone service agreements or credit card agreements routinely include an arbitration clause.\u00a0 Sometimes we read these agreements; sometimes we don\u2019t.\u00a0 But then again, form contracts have long outnumbered custom drafted contracts.\u00a0 So this isn\u2019t something new.\u00a0 As with anything, there are pros and cons to arbitration clauses.\u00a0 We\u2019ll hear about both today.\u00a0 I expect we\u2019ll also hear that businesses, in the wake of recent Supreme Court cases, still must decide whether to include arbitration clauses in their user agreements.\u00a0 Despite the predictions from some that arbitration clauses would become the default position. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today.\u00a0 Particularly, I look forward to testimony explaining what we can expect following the Supreme Court\u2019s decision in the American Express case.\u00a0 Absent class action provisions, will consumers really lack an ability to have their dispute adjudicated?\u00a0 Also, what direction will we see arbitration clauses move going forward?\u00a0 In the wake of the American Express and AT&T Mobility cases, I hope the witnesses can separate myth from reality, today, and give us a clear picture of what\u2019s next. Thank you again, Mr. Chairman.\u00a0 I look forward to this hearing.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221044442/http://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/Article.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1502=47803"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5982210170477629, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}