Press Release
CPMV Applauds AFL-CIO Opposition to Specter Bill
CPMV Agrees With AFL-CIO Objections
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims (CPMV) applauds the AFL-CIO for its recent statement in opposition to U.S. Senator Arlen Specter's asbestos trust fund bill. The AFL-CIO said in a statement today that the bill has "a number of serious deficiencies that must be corrected" despite recent changes that came as a result of stakeholder negotiations on the bill.
The draft bill, released Tuesday, will take asbestos victims claims out of the court system and force them into a federal trust fund. The CPMV also opposed the bill in a recent letter to Sen. Specter, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Both groups agree that federal legislation is necessary to deal with the high volume of litigation stemming from asbestos disease across the country, but Sen. Specter's bill falls short in many areas.
Susan Vento, Chairperson of the CPMV, says, "We applaud the AFL-CIO for recognizing the serious deficiencies in Sen. Specter's bill. If passed, this bill would leave out many of the truly sick asbestos victims and eliminate their legal right to have access to the court system."
Both groups have made a commitment to continue to work with Senators on the asbestos reform legislation.
*******************
Text of April 15, 2005 Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney on Proposed Draft Asbestos Compensation Legislation:
The AFL-CIO has supported and continues to support the establishment of a federal asbestos trust fund to compensate asbestos victims for their injuries through a no-fault system to replace the present civil litigation system. The AFL-CIO has reviewed in detail Senator Specter's new draft bill that is a result of discussions with Judiciary Committee Republicans and Senators Leahy and Feinstein.
The draft proposal includes some important improvements such as increases in award levels for some disease categories and a bar against any liens on workers compensation awards. At the same time, however, the draft has a number of serious deficiencies that must be corrected. These include the elimination of compensation for a large group of lung cancer victims, without allowing these individuals to document asbestos exposure through CT scans, and the absence of remedies for victims during the startup period before the Fund is able to pay claims. In addition, there are a set of issues, such as the statute of limitations, preemption and the treatment of claims if the Fund sunsets, that will determine whether the compensation system works as intended for deserving claimants.
We will continue to work with Senators to attempt to resolve these important issues.
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.
