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| Mar May |
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To watch or listen to
the Senate floor live please visit
CSPAN2
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Tuesday, April 20, 2004 |
Senator Frist has said the time has come for the Senate to consider the proposed asbestos bill. He has sent a cloture motion to the desk, a motion that would end debate, which will require a vote to take place on Thursday.
5:07:13 PM 
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Senator Dodd of Connecticut is speaking about the asbestos bill and the current state of affairs. He has noted that the Hatch-Frist Asbestos bill which proposes to create a national trust for compensation, has a seven year gap after the fund is expected to run out of money before victims would be able to seek compensation directly from companies.
4:35:42 PM
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Senator Hatch has spent the past fifteen minutes explaining why he believes the Senate should consider his bill. He reiterated a rumor he discussed yesterday, that lawyers will donate significant funds to the presidential campaign of the Democratic nominee if Senators block this legislation.
4:22:02 PM
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Earlier this afternoon Senator Leahy made a statement on the floor about the diversion of funds for military operations in Iraq and another about asbestos. Here is a link to Senator Leahy's longer statement about the allegations made in Bob Woodward's book.
While speaking about asbestos, Senator Leahy used these floor charts to illustrate his points about the amount of funds Halliburton and WR Grace would contribute to the proposed compensation fund:
3:33:10 PM
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Senator Feinstein followed up on Senator Leahy's floor statement, indicating that she agreed with many of his sentiments. Noting that she had been supportive of the asbestos bill passed by the Judiciary Committee, she indicated that the asbestos bill that is being discussed today is drastically different from the bill she voted for last fall. Senator Feinstein explained that numerous provisions in the bill passed by the Senate are not in this version, including many provisions that protect an individual's right to financial compensation.
3:10:54 PM
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Senator Leahy has spent the past few minutes examining how much individual companies would be required to contribute to the proposed national asbestos compensation fund. He pointed out that under the proposed legislation WR Grace, a company responsible for poisoning an entire community, would be required to pay less than $500 million of the $3.1billion of which they are currently liable. Senator Leahy continued to explain that this bill would take away victims right to the courthouse and would void ongoing settlements that victims and companies had agreed upon.
3:00:01 PM
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Senator Leahy said that any compensation fund for asbestos must have a set criteria for determining awards. He noted that during consideration of the first FAIR act considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a Leahy-Hatch amendment to establish the criteria for financial award from the national trust fund was accepted. The bill currently being discussed by Senators did not go through the Judiciary Committee. Senator Leahy also stated that this partisan bill does not do enough to compensate victims that are seriously ill and that "the so-called FAIR act is not yet fair."
2:45:09 PM
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Changing focus to the issue of asbestos, Senator Leahy stated that the asbestos bill being discussed on the floor "is not ready for primetime." He continued, saying that he hoped that the Senate would work in good faith to solve the Asbestos crisis. Senator Leahy also noted that he was pleased to hear that Senator Specter of Pennsylvania would not be supporting the partisan asbestos bill proposed by Senator Frist and Senator Hatch.
2:31:56 PM
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Senator Leahy is speaking on the Senate floor about a claim made in a recent book by Bob Woodward, about the use of funds for the war in Iraq that was set aside for military operations in Afghanistan. Senator Leahy stated that it appears the Administration has treated Congress with the same disrespect it showed to our European allies.
2:26:11 PM
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The Senate is in recess until 2:15 for the weekly party policy meetings.
12:46:08 PM
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Coming to the floor to speak in support of his FAIR Act bill, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah is focusing on the claim values in his proposed legislation for asbestos-related injuries. In particular, he is talking about the values for victims of asbestos-related injuries who are also smokers. He is also discussing the highlights of his bill, including the creation of an Office of Disease Compensation headed by an Administrator for processing and paying claims.
12:07:16 PM
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Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania is citing that 8500 companies have been named in asbestos-related suits, and such suits have resulted in 70 companies going bankrupt. He is saying this is a very complicated issue and feels that Majority Leader Frist's calling for a cloture vote this week is "premature" and "counterproductive." While saying that it is imperative that the members have meetings throughout this week to work out some of the difficult parts of the proposed legislation, Senator Specter mentioned that he will be in Pennsylvania for most of the rest of this week campaigning because he is in a "tough fight" for the primary election.
11:52:35 AM
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Claiming that the increased violence in Iraq is "proof that terrorists see freedom arriving" there, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is expressing her support for staying the course in the war in Iraq. She is applauding the Administration for the job it has done concerning the war.
11:39:05 AM
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Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire is talking about the changes that the FBI has gone through since September 11, 2001. He said that the primary purpose of the FBI used to be to catch criminals after they committed a crime, but since September 11, its primary purpose has become to catch terrorists before they attack.
11:30:48 AM
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Senator Jon Corzine of New Jersey is talking about how the average American is facing an increasing amount of pressure today as median incomes decline while the cost of health insurance increases and the cost of gas prices increases. He is saying that the Administration's actions concerning tax cuts and jobs have led to undermining the quality of life for the middle class of America.
11:01:45 AM
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Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa is speaking about the need to protect overtime pay for workers. He is stating that the proposed regulations concerning overtime pay is "one in a series of assaults on American workers by the Administration," and is pointing out that 8 million Americans will be losing time-and-a-half overtime pay as a result of these regulations.
10:51:39 AM
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Senator Frist and Daschle are both asserting how important it is to find a resolution for a way to deal with asbestos-related injury claims, but Senator Daschle is expressing that it takes more than just saying that we need an answer. He is saying that it takes a willingness from both sides of the aisle to meet and have a meaninful discussion to work through these issues.
10:42:36 AM
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Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota is claiming that, like Senator Frist, he feels it is important to change the present system relating to the resolution of asbestos-related injury claims, but he feels that it is essential that the Senate does it in the right way. He quoted an article in which Senator Specter calls the proposed legislation "counterproductive," and he is agreeing with Senator Specter. Referencing when the Senate passed legislation for victims of black lung or for victims of uranium, Senator Daschle is pointing out that legislation can be harmful if it is not done correctly. He also pointed out, that everyone should keep in mind, that as asbestos-related injuries are being discussed, 1.3 million Americans are still exposed to asbestos in their place of work today and asbestos is still legal to use.
10:28:14 AM
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Majority Leader Bill Frist is beginning today with discussing Senator Hatch’s Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act and how it is needed because the present system is “inadequate” and “wasteful.” He is citing the fact that there are presently more than 300,000 asbestos injury claims pending, and that $70 billion will be spent trying to resolve these claims. One problem, Senator Frist is saying, is that the current system is like a lottery, in which a few people get large payments but the majority of people get tiny amounts. Senator Frist is commending both Senators Hatch and Leahy for their work in trying to come up with a solution to this problem.
10:11:04 AM
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At 9:45 this morning, the Senate will convene for an hour of morning business, after which time consideration of S.2290, the Asbestos bill, will resume.
9:45:49 AM
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Today's Fun Vermont Trivia Question:
In which town is the Haskell Opera House, where one sits in the Unites States while the performance takes place in Canada?
Monday’s Question: In 1864, each state was asked to give two statues to the U.S. Capitol to honor notable people in their state's history. Vermont gave its statues in 1876 and 1881. Who are the statues of?
Answer: Ethan Allen and Jacob Collamer.
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9:43:00 AM
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