A bill that would create a new funding system for asbestos victims is awaiting a vote in the U-S Senate. One of Alabama's senators supports the idea but says the bill still needs more work.By Butler Cain, Alabama Public Radio
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Political Group Targets Sessions on Asbestos Bill
Undated – A bill that would create a new funding system for asbestos victims is awaiting a vote in the U-S Senate. One of Alabama's senators supports the idea but says the bill still needs more work. His stance is being targeted in a statewide television campaign by a political organization. Alabama Public Radio's Butler Cain reports.
The proposal would create a 140 billion dollar fund for people who have been exposed to asbestos. The material is known to cause cancer and other serious health problems. Payments would be based on the severity of the person's illness and could range from several thousand dollars to more than a million. Speaking to reporters last month, U-S Senator Jeff Sessions said the current asbestos system is broken, and something must be done.
Jeff Sessions -- "We need to create a system in which without litigation, without delay, a person with a serious illness caused by asbestos can be compensated and compensated generously immediately. That's the goal of this legislation. That's what I support."
But the bill also would restrict victims from suing for damages, and it would cap the financial liability of insurers and asbestos manufacturers. Though he supports the idea generally, he says he is not fully satisfied with the bill in its current form.
Jeff Sessions -- "I have not committed to support the bill as written. I want to make sure that we make every possible improvement to it that we can before I make that decision, make that commitment."
Despite his reservations, Sessions recently voted with the majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee to send the legislation to the Senate for consideration. It was his committee vote that caught the attention of the Senate Accountability Project, a so-called 527 organization. Such groups can accept and spend an unrestricted amount of money to influence political issues. The group has produced a television advertisement accusing Sessions of turning his back on his constituents.
TV Advertisement -- "He says he believes in the Alabama way, in states rights and limited federal government, but now supports the Washington way, and the asbestos bailout bill, a liberal entitlement program that takes power away from ordinary citizens and gives it to bureaucrats in Washington."
Mark Iola -- "And it seems inconsistent with his stated goals and objectives, and his principles that he ran on office for, which is that, he believes that what's best for Alabamans is almost always determined by Alabamans, not federal bureaucrats in Washington, D.C."
Mark Iola is president of the Senate Accountability Project. The group is targeting Sessions and senators in Oklahoma, Iowa and Kansas.
Mark Iola -- "Those four are all conservative Republicans that got elected to the United States Senate on the basis of telling voters that they believe in more limited federal government. They were all on the Senate Judiciary Committee and and all voted yes for this bill and we felt it was important to highlight for the citizens in those various states the hypocrisy of those votes."
Sessions says he's disappointed with what he calls the "unfair trial lawyer ads." He calls the current asbestos pay out system one of America's greatest legal failures. He says more than half of the money involved is eaten up by legal fees and other costs. The current asbestos proposal isn't perfect, but he says it's an improvement over the one that currently exists.
Jeff Sessions -- "I think that bill can be made better. I think it's an absolutely important piece of legislation. I want to use all the leverage I have to see that we make some additional changes that could make that legislation better."
Sessions says he's worried about a provision that would allow lawsuits to resume if the asbestos trust fund runs out of money. He says that could be a problem for businesses, and says he may try to amend that portion of the bill. Its sponsor, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, says he's optimistic Congress will pass the legislation.
For Alabama Public Radio, I'm Butler Cain.