Press Release

Asbestos Victims Unite Against Bill

Groups Oppose S. 852 in Open Letter

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WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, leaders of the nation's top asbestos victims' organizations reiterated a number of their deepest concerns with the asbestos trust fund bill in an open letter to Congress. U.S. Majority Leader Frist plans to bring up the legislation on February 6, before the many priority issues addressed by the President in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday.

Five victims leaders wrote Sen. Frist and Sen. Reid on behalf of thousands of asbestos victims across the country, outlining a laundry list of concerns they have with the asbestos trust fund bill, S. 852. Signatories include:

Susan Vento, Chairperson, Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims-CPMV (Washington, DC)
Linda Reinstein, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization-ADAO (Redondo Beach, CA)
Michael Bowker, Founder and Executive Director, Asbestos Victims Organization-AVO; Author, Fatal Deception: The Untold Story of Asbestos: Why It is Still Legal and Why It Is Still Killing Us (Placerville, CA)
Jim Fite, National Secretary, White Lung Association-WLA (Baltimore, MD)
Barbara Zeluck, Secretary, White Lung Asbestos Information Center-WLAIC (New York, NY)

The groups raise a number of concerns, including the facts that the bill would: strip asbestos victims of their rights to bring their claims to court; force victims to face long delays in compensation, many of whom do not have long to live; and leave countless victims, including 9/11 and Katrina victims, out in the cold.

Group leaders say in the open letter that, "This legislation is not primarily intended, nor is it good, for victims. In fact, in its current form, the legislation would make recovery of compensation dramatically worse for victims. It would deny whole classes of cancer-ridden victims, who, today, are able to recover compensation for their injuries, any ability to be compensated."

Victims’ groups have sent many letters to Sen. Specter, and other members of the U.S. Senate, in the past voicing concerns that the bill is grossly under funded, falls far short of the criteria that are needed to address victims’ needs, and fails to provide enough funding for asbestos research, education, and prevention.

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The Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims (CPMV) is an organization founded by asbestos victims and their families and friends. CPMV works to raise awareness on national asbestos issues and ensure that victims' rights are properly represented and protected on both a local and national level. For more information, www.asbestostruth.org.