Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 985, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation and Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2017. Mr. Chairman, there can be no doubt that this legislation is an assault on the civil justice system. By effectively banning class actions, H.R. 985 would give wrongdoers a permission slip to avoid public scrutiny or liability for their unlawful conduct. Worse still, this legislation also contains the text of the so-called FACT Act, which is designed to delay justice for asbestos victims and deny accountability for corporate defendants. As the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee that exercises jurisdiction over this bill, I am strongly opposed to this dangerous and offensive measure. For decades, medical experts have closely linked asbestos exposure with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, and other forms of lung disease. Asbestos manufacturers have also known about the deadly effects of asbestos exposure; but, as a Federal judge noted in 1991, there is compelling evidence that these companies sought to conceal this information from workers and the general public. Instead of sharing this critical information, which could have saved countless lives through exposure prevention, asbestos companies ``continued to manufacture one of the most widely used asbestos products without informing workers or the public,'' as the nonprofit Environmental Working Group has reported.…”