Political Quotes

“My amendment would address the bill's serious violation of the privacy of asbestos victims. Instead of requiring asbestos trusts to disclose detailed personal information about asbestos victims, as the bill would do, my amendment would require aggregate reporting of the demands received and payments made by those trusts. This would ensure transparency of the trusts without jeopardizing the privacy of the victims. Let's remember why these asbestos trusts are established in the first place. Corporations that knowingly produced a toxic substance that killed or seriously injured unsuspecting American consumers and workers have since been held accountable for their practices through litigation. Asbestos companies that enter bankruptcy have the option of establishing a trust to satisfy the obligations to their victims while shielding themselves from future claims when they emerge from bankruptcy. As if contracting a painful and life-threatening disease like lung cancer or mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos is not bad enough, this bill would further victimize claimants by putting their personal information on the Internet, available to anyone who may seek to take advantage of them. The bill would require each asbestos trust to list the payment demands it has received, the amounts demanded, as well as the names and exposure histories of each claimant, along with the basis for any payment from the trust of such claimant.…”