Senators should approve asbestos act

Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor have a good record of tackling the issue of asbestos head-on. Just this past May, our Senators were instrumental in securing federal funds to rid a closed service station at the Camden Port Authority of petroleum and asbestos contaminants.
For health reasons, it's important to remove these harmful materials. If inhaled, asbestos can cause fatal diseases like cancer. Both Senators will have a chance to aid those who have already been exposed to the harmful material this January when the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act is brought to the Senate floor for consideration.
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Victims of asbestos exposure are currently stuck in a bloated legal mess, unable to receive timely or adequate compensation.
More than 700,000 people have filed suit, overwhelming the courts. And there are many more victims out there who aren't even able to seek legal restitution. For example, veterans exposed to asbestos are prevented by law from suing their former employer, the U.S. government. It's not widely known, but many veterans got sick from breathing in asbestos during their years of service at military facilities like Navy shipyards.
The FAIR Act would establish a trust fund for all asbestos victims who are sick and suffering. It would provide fast compensation to sick victims and would, for the first time, offer veterans a way to pay their costly medical bills and be compensated for being exposed to this lethal substance. And compensation would be available for those families who, sadly, have already lost a relative to an asbestos-related disease.
The FAIR Act would put millions toward research in to the care and prevention of mesothelioma — a life-threatening form of cancer that afflicts many victims of asbestos. These mesothelioma disease research and treatment centers would be closely affiliated with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' medical centers across the country.
There are hundreds of thousands of veterans living in Arkansas. Many are sick and need help now. The FAIR act is the only solution to the asbestos litigation problem that will ensure sick veterans are taken care of. That's why more than a dozen natural veterans' organizations including the VFW have pledged their support for the FAIR Act.
I encourage Senators Lincoln and Pryor to continue to address problems related to asbestos by voting yes for the FAIR Act and providing veterans and others afflicted with asbestos-related diseases the compensation they deserve.