Orrin Hatch: “I rise today, along with the distinguished majority leader, to introduce S. 2290, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury…”

“I rise today, along with the distinguished majority leader, to introduce S. 2290, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act--the FAIR Act--of 2004. This is a substitute bill that Senators Frist, DeWine, Voinovich, Miller, Allen, Chambliss, Hagel, Domenici, and I have spent a great deal of time developing. I particularly want to commend Senator Specter and Judge Becker of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals for their efforts in bringing interested parties together to discuss the further development of this legislation. We are pleased to include many agreements from that mediation process in this bill. Let me start by noting that the United States Supreme Court has sadly but appropriately characterized the asbestos litigation system in our country as "an elephantine mass." The Wall Street Journal aptly called it "a job-eating asbestos blob." Without question, we face a crisis of epidemic proportions.”