Wisconsin Poised to Pass ALEC's Deadly Asbestos Bill [View all]

[Snarkoleptic]

More WTF news from Wisconsin's Kochtopus coopted government

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/03/12424/wi-assembly-takes-alec-led-national-effort-narrow-access-courts-asbestos-victims

Wisconsin could become the latest state to narrow access to the courts for asbestos victims in a bill up for a vote on March 20, joining a national coordinated effort that can be traced back to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Rep. Andre Jacque, a member of the ALEC Civil Justice Task Force, introduced Assembly Bill 19 in April of 2013. A version of the legislation passed the Wisconsin Senate last week on a nearly party line vote, and is now before the Assembly. It resembles the ALEC "Asbestos Claims Transparency Act," which was adopted as a "model" by members of the ALEC Civil Justice Task Force in 2007. In December of 2012, Ohio became the first state to pass the legislation. In the 2013 session, nearly identical legislation has been introduced in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Illinois and Texas.

The legislation would benefit corporations like Crown Holdings, a Fortune 500 company with over $8 billion in annual sales that has worked with ALEC for years to legislate its way out of compensating asbestos victims, as well as ALEC member Honeywell International, which has faced significant asbestos liability in recent years.

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When the legislation was introduced in Texas in 2011, ALEC sent a so-called "issue alert" to ALEC legislators in that state urging the bill's passage. Like many ALEC bills, the model language was slightly amended to make it consistent with Texas statutes, but ALEC still acknowledged H.B. 2034 was an ALEC model bill. "This legislation is based on ALEC's Asbestos Claims Transparency Act and would reduce the potential for fraud and gamemanship with respect to asbestos claims. ALEC strongly supports H.B. 2034," the message reads.

Wisconsin's legislation, Assembly Bill 19, even more closely tracks the ALEC model legislation than the Texas bill.When the legislation was introduced in Texas in 2011, ALEC sent a so-called "issue alert" to ALEC legislators in that state urging the bill's passage. Like many ALEC bills, the model language was slightly amended to make it consistent with Texas statutes, but ALEC still acknowledged H.B. 2034 was an ALEC model bill. "This legislation is based on ALEC's Asbestos Claims Transparency Act and would reduce the potential for fraud and gamemanship with respect to asbestos claims. ALEC strongly supports H.B. 2034," the message reads.

Wisconsin's legislation, Assembly Bill 19, even more closely tracks the ALEC model legislation than the Texas bill.