Barbara Boxer: “I don't think it is better than the current court system, certainly not in my State. In California, we have an expedited…”

“I don't think it is better than the current court system, certainly not in my State. In California, we have an expedited processing of suits for sick plaintiffs. Roughly 22 States have procedures that ensure mesothelioma victims and those with other very serious cancers have their cases heard in a year or less. In California the courts can hear such cases within 120 days. There are States where the courts work, and they should be allowed to continue their good work without getting taxpayers involved in this trust fund. Where it is working, do no harm. Let it proceed. Most, if not all, of us could support an asbestos trust fund that is fair to victims, but this proposal is not. I have gone through the ways that it is not. I have shown my colleagues the faces of those who would be harmed or would have been harmed if this trust fund were in place. We can fix this. We can make the trust fund bigger, that is one solution, or we can say in the 22 States that are dealing with this, let them deal with it. Let's grandfather in the cases that are already in the system. I am very fearful--very fearful--that a lot of people who are going to depend on this trust fund are going to find out that it isn't what it is cracked up to be. The bill promises the Moon, and I don't even know if it will deliver a sliver of the Moon.…”