FACT Act Legislation Passes House, Moves to Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved legislation that included the FACT Act, which sets new, stiffer requirements for victims of asbestos seeking compensation through the legal system. This is the third time in four years the House has passed a version of the Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act, but the first time it was attached to the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act, also known as H.R. 1927. It now moves to the U.S. Senate, where it has stalled in the past and is expected to fail again. This is the first time it has come to the Senate when Republicans were in the majority, which could change the dynamics. GovTrack, a Washington D.C.-based website that tracks bills through Congress and predicts success rates, gives the legislation an 11 percent chance of enactment. There has been a continually strong lobbying effort against the bill from victims' advocacy groups. They believe the legislation puts an undue burden on those harmed by the toxic mineral, and on the asbestos trust funds designed to compensate them. The legislation would require those seeking compensation to provide public disclosure of work history, exposure history and basis for compensation, along with personal data, including partial Social Security numbers. FACT Act Could Harm Asbestos Victims Victim advocates say the FACT Act would open the door for identity thieves and scam artists to prey on those filing with the trusts by putting highly sensitive ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Legislation, Laws & Litigation Source Type: news