Tom Carper: “in the next several hours, I expect we are going to have a critically important vote, a vote with respect to how we are…”

“in the next several hours, I expect we are going to have a critically important vote, a vote with respect to how we are going to proceed or not proceed with respect to the asbestos litigation reform. There is more at stake than a parliamentary squabble. This is a question to say whether we are going to continue to have a system where the people who are sick and dying from asbestos exposure are going to be quickly compensated for the harm that has been done to their bodies. And there is a question as to whether companies will be bankrupted by the dozens, and you continue to see that sort of thing happen. There is a question of whether we are going to continue to see a situation where a majority of the moneys that are paid out for damages end up not in the pockets of those who have been harmed or their families but in the pockets of others. The status quo, in my judgment, is not acceptable. We have an opportunity today to take an important step toward improving that situation. The legislation before us today has evolved over the time that I have served in the Senate. A question that has been raised again and again, as it should be, is: Is the money that is going to be set aside in a trust fund that we propose to create adequate?…”