Similar to the silicone litigation that threatened to take Dow Corning out of business. All the current proposal aims to do is arrive at a legislated settlement, to substitute for a litigated one.
In other words, it aims to cut off certain judicial remedies, and all the baggage that comes with them. I'm not clear on what drives the legislation, if it's the manufacturer defendants (who cares about them anyway? Bankrupt the whole lot of them and other companies would take over); or the courts for being overloaded. Sessions said something like 30 thousand cases were pending.
It's tobacco settlement like - except instead of being done by courts, it's being done by the Congress. I don't know if the House has taken this up yet.
Interesting though, that this is a higher priority than debate, negotiation and renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act.
I agree with you about why does this have such high priority..
One thing I have noticed about Frist, (don't know how much better Lott was--I didn't watch the Senate back then)..he doesn't seem like he prioritizes or pushes stuff very well.
I don't know the protocol for putting these things on the calendar...but, like you said, the Patriot Act is much more important than this...
I just ran into this while reading various routine statements that don't or haven't made prominent news:
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 2, 2006Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan, John Marburger, Director of Office of Science & Technology Policy and Claude Allen, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
Aboard Air Force One
En route Maplewood, Minnesota11:01 A.M. EST
MR. McCLELLAN: All right. Good morning, everybody. I've got two distinguished guests with me who will talk to you all in a minute. But, first, I want to bring one item to your attention, and then I'm going to go through the President's day.
The Senate is getting ready to move forward and act on asbestos reform. Asbestos reform has been a high priority for this administration and we're encouraged that the Senate may be taking this up as early as next week. Asbestos litigation has clogged our courts, preventing people with legitimate claims from being compensated. It's led to the bankruptcy of a number of businesses and it's cost our economy an estimated -- more than $300 billion. And the President strongly supports a legislative solution that is based on three principles. We've talked about this before, but let me just refresh you.
First of all, a solution that targets the funds to those who are genuinely injured. Secondly, those who are genuinely sick -- secondly, it speeds up the process for compensating those who are injured. And, thirdly, that it provides certainty in the system. So I just wanted to bring that to yr attention, first of all. ...
Q Is he going to talk about the asbestos subject in his speech today?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't think he'll have* -- because today's speech is really on the areas that Dr. Marburger and Claude Allen outlined to you all. But I just wanted to bring it up, because the Senate is looking at moving forward on it. It's a high priority for us, and it's something that's been -- that the Congress has been working on over the last few years, and we hope they can move forward on it and get it done.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060202-2.html
On a different subject, judicial nominations, the President nominated two Circuit Court candidates yesterday.
Sandra Segal Ikuta, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, vice James R. Browning, retired.A FR thread at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1574863/posts is on the subject of the Wallace nomination. It also contains a few bits of information relating to Ikuta.Michael Brunson Wallace, of Mississippi, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit, vice Charles W. Pickering, Sr., retired.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060208-11.html