Press Release
Sen. Specter's Legislation Is Unfair
CPMV Oppostion Remains, Despite Bill Changes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims (CPMV) adds its voice to insurers, business and other victims groups that remain strongly opposed to U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter's asbestos trust fund bill. The Committee laid out its points of contention today in a letter to Specter as the Senate prepares to consider the legislation.
The draft bill, released Tuesday, will take asbestos victims claims out of the court system and force them into a federal trust fund. The latest bill, expected to be officially introduced next week, came as a result of months of negotiations among stakeholders, but still falls far short of reaching a consensus.
The CPMV agrees with Sen. Specter and others that federal legislation is necessary to deal with the high volume of litigation stemming from asbestos poisoning across the country, but adds that the "trust fund" approach advocated by Sen. Specter falls short in many areas - particularly in its ability to fairly compensate the sickest victims of asbestos poisoning.
In its letter to Sen. Specter, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the CPMV notes that the bill is unfair because: it takes away victims' constitutional rights to legal redress; it fails to provide adequate funding to guarantee that all victims are fairly and fully compensated; it could leave out mesothelioma victims with any history of smoking; and it is a bail-out for corporations, like W.R. Grace, who knowingly poisoned their employees.
In the letter, Susan Vento, Chairperson of the CPMV and wife of the late Congressman Bruce Vento, who died of mesothelioma, says, "For many victims, the legislation represents the harshest action that the Federal Government and the Congress can take toward an American citizen: the total elimination of their constitutional legal right of access to the courts and any legal recourse for the wrongs done to them by other individuals and entities."
The group plans to do all that they can to inform the public of the bill's unfairness and to stop its passage.
For more information on mesothelioma and the asbestos bills, visit www.asbestostruth.org.
**************************************
The Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims (CPMV) is an organization founded by asbestos victims and their families and friends. CPMV works to raise awareness on national asbestos issues and ensure that victims' rights are properly represented and protected on both a local and national level. For more information, www.asbestostruth.org.
