The U.S. Senate approved a bill on Thursday that would make it harder for Americans to hold companies accountable that violate state consumer, health, civil rights and environmental protection laws.

The so-called “Class Action Fairness Act” would move most class action lawsuits from state into already overburdened federal courts. Opponents of the bill claim it will keep legitimate claims from being heard because federal judges tend to be less friendly towards such cases.

“Federal judges generally do not certify cases that are based on state consumer protection laws, which means the cases are blocked and can’t be considered on the merits,” Joan Claybrook, president of the consumer group Public Citizen, said. “The result will deny millions of Americans justice for marketplace fraud and deceptive practices.”

The House of Representatives, who already said they would pass the bill, will vote on it this week and then send to President Bush for signing into law.

“The class action bill is a strong step forward in our efforts to reform the litigation system and keep America the best place in the world to do business,” President Bush said in a statement.

The bill is a major victory for Republicans, Corporate America and President Bush that have been pushing for “legal reform” for many years now. It is opposed by more than 80 civil rights, senior, consumer and environmental organizations including AFL-CIO, AARP, ACLU, American Cancer Association, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Environmental Working Group and Public Citizen.

Passage of the class action bill comes amid scandals of corporate wrongdoing in the auto, drug, health care, finance, insurance and securities industry.

Class action combines thousands of small claims against a common defendant into one lawsuits.

(via The White House)