Bill Amendment: MS HB1426 | 2017 | Regular Session
Bill Title: Asbestos Transparency Trust Act; create.
Status: 2017-04-18 - Approved by Governor [HB1426 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-HB1426-Senate_Amendment_No_1_to_Committee_Amendment_No_1.html
Lost
AMENDMENT NO 1 TO COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO 1 PROPOSED TO
House Bill No. 1426
BY: Senator(s) McDaniel
Amend on line 29 by inserting after the semicolon thereon the following:
Asbestos is a lethal toxin and it has not been banned in the United States. Companies still use it, workers are still exposed to it, and between five thousand (5,000) and twelve thousand (12,000) Americans still suffocate and die from asbestos-related cancers every year;
Further amend by inserting after line 32 the following, relettering subsequent paragraphs:
(*) Beginning in the 1930's, the asbestos industry engaged in a cover-up of the lethal effects of asbestos that went on for decades. Companies still refuse to make public where asbestos is present, where it was used and where it is imported. The companies still insist on complete confidentiality when settling lawsuits. Court documents provide irrefutable proof that the asbestos industry leveraged its power and influence to keep workers and the public in the dark about the hazards of asbestos. Dozens of companies are implicated in the decades-long cover-up. The success of these companies hinged on keeping the health risks of asbestos a secret, but it was asbestos workers and consumers who paid the price. In order to keep the industry alive and prosperous, many companies took steps to ensure that miners, factory workers and the public knew nothing about the true dangers of asbestos;
Further amend by inserting after line 36 the following, relettering subsequent paragraphs:
(*) In 1994, Congress passed special legislation that allowed asbestos companies to set up trusts to compensate asbestos victims and, at the same time, reorganize under the bankruptcy laws. This protection has allowed most companies seeking bankruptcy protection to remain operating and economically healthy;
(*) While veterans make up only eight percent (8%) of our population, thirty percent (30%) of victims were exposed to asbestos while serving the country. Veterans disproportionately make up those who are dying and afflicted with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses and injuries. According to the Veterans Administration, "veterans who served in any of the following occupations may have been exposed to asbestos: mining, milling, shipyard work, insulation work, demolition of old buildings, carpentry and construction, manufacturing and installation of products such as flooring and roofing.
