Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chairman, veterans are disproportionately affected by diseases caused by asbestos, and although veterans represent only 8 percent of the Nation's population, they comprise almost one-third of all known mesothelioma deaths that have occurred in this country.

Mesothelioma has an uncommonly long period of latency of 20 to 30 years, which means that veterans exposed to asbestos who retired from Active Duty decades ago are getting sick today.

Hundreds of Navy ships and military installations dating back to World War II were constructed with asbestos flooring, flooring tiles, ceiling tiles, and wall insulation. That means that hundreds of thousands of workers and sailors were unknowingly exposed to dangerous asbestos levels, and as a result many of those men and women contracted asbestos-related diseases.

J. Patrick Little, the national commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, wrote to House leadership in direct opposition of this bill. He said: ``The FACT Act adds insult to injury for veterans and their families at a time when they are suffering from the devastating effects of asbestos exposure.''

The FACT Act must be amended to protect veterans who were exposed to those dangerous minerals while serving their country. I tried to amend this bill twice to exempt asbestos trusts from having to file onerous reports to the bankruptcy courts if the claimant is a member of the Armed Forces, a civilian employee of the Department of Defense, and their families to avoid any potential delay in these individuals receiving their desired benefits in a timely manner; but the majority did not make this commonsense amendment in order because they are not prepared to defend this bill against the serious concerns raised by veterans, including the Military Order of the Purple Heart, who say that the bill is unnecessary, unfair, and only benefits the asbestos industry rather than our veterans who proudly served their country and were unknowingly exposed to this deadly substance.

In the absence of this amendment, Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote on the bill.

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