An important item on the conservative agenda was reform of the federal class action laws. Class action lawsuits-those involving a large number of plaintiffs-have traditionally been easier to bring and win in state court. Republicans felt more of these suits should end up in federal court, where the chances of a pro-corporate decision were greater. They proposed a bill that would give federal courts original jurisdiction over class actions where the total damages exceeded $2 million and any of the plaintiffs lived in different states. In existing law, federal courts considered only cases where each plaintiff stood to win at least $75,000, and in which the defendant and lead plaintiff lived in different states. Progressives opposed this bill as a way to stifle one of the most important means of holding corporations accountable for their actions. However, their opposition was not enough, and the bill passed the House 233-190.