Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from American Association for Justice CEO Linda Lipsen on today’s markup of the Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act (H.R. 526) in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary:
“Asbestos is still legal in the United States, and with 12,000 to 15,000 Americans suffocating to death every year from asbestos diseases, Congress should act to protect the public by demanding transparency from asbestos corporations. Instead, the FACT Act will grant a handout to the very corporations that poisoned and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, while doing nothing to prevent further exposure to this deadly toxin.
“The asbestos industry is the only supporter of the FACT Act, and to date, this committee has refused to hear testimony from people who have experienced the ravages of asbestos diseases. Americans should be outraged that this markup will go forward without consideration of the people who will shoulder the entire burden of this one-sided bill – asbestos victims and their families."
