Arlen Specter: “I do not know if it is possible for this Senator to give a few words. I will try. The answer is no, those are not the…”

“I do not know if it is possible for this Senator to give a few words. I will try. The answer is no, those are not the only options. The answer is yes, there is another option. The ``yes'' answer is to go back to the tort system. Senator Biden offered that amendment in July of 2003. I am on it because it seemed to me that claimants should not bear the risk of the failure of the trust fund, and in this bill you go back to the tort system. So the claimants are no worse off than they are now. Mr. President, these letters may be part of the Record, but I want to be sure they are. I ask unanimous consent that the letters from the Congressional Budget Office, dated August 25, 2005 and December 19, 2005, be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: U.S. Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC, August 25, 2005. Hon. Arlen Specter, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 852, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contacts are Mike Waters (for federal costs), Barbara Edwards (for revenues), and Paige Piper/Bach (for the private-sector impact). Sincerely, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director. S. 852--Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005 Summary: S.…”