Conference committee members are in the midst of negotiating a compromise, as evidenced by a letter sent Monday to four Democratic Senators from Republican Reps. Michael Oxley and F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. On the subject of attorneys' fees, Republicans propose to "narrow the limit on attorneys' fees contained in the House bill to apply only to damages drawn from the US Treasury."

The letter also calls for procedural protections in which the "settlement of cases under the program would be subject to approval by the Secretary of the Treasury, and the federal district judge would determine whether punitive damages were warranted and, if so, the amount of the award." The target adjournment date on both the US House and Senate legislative schedule for this session had been scheduled for October 5. The chambers are now scheduled to adjourn this Friday.