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Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; Healthcare decision planning important for CT residents; Debt dilemma poll: Hoosiers wrestle with college costs.

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Civil Rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

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Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

Advocates Call Asbestos Bill a "Bad Deal" for Victims

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Monday, January 25, 2016   

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A bill affecting compensation claims by Pennsylvanians suffering from asbestos-related diseases is scheduled for a key committee vote in the state Legislature.

Asbestos has been known for decades to cause diseases like mesothelioma, a kind of cancer. Victims of industrial exposures are still fighting for compensation through lawsuits. Sponsors of House Bill 1428 claim the bill would increase transparency and fairness in the litigation process. But Larry Cohan, an attorney with the firm Anapol Weiss who has represented many victims, says it would keep some from ever seeing a dime.

"The way the bill is written, no living mesothelioma victim will ever survive long enough to have their day in court," says Cohan. "The bill virtually guarantees extensive delays."

According to the Environmental Working Group, more than 14,000 Pennsylvanians have died of asbestos-related diseases since 1999, the third-highest death rate in the country.

Lawsuits have forced many asbestos companies into bankruptcy and trusts have been formed to compensate victims. The American Legislative Exchange Council, which crafted the model for HB 1428, says it would preserve the resources of those trusts for deserving claimants. Cohan disagrees.

"This will cost the trusts millions, if not billions, ultimately of dollars," says Cohan. "So, there will not be a preservation for victims, there will be a loss."

Asbestos-related diseases may be latent for up to 50 years after exposure, and most victims die within one or or two years of diagnosis.

According to Cohan, there's no need for new asbestos legislation in Pennsylvania, because cases are moving through the courts quickly and efficiently now.

"This bill is nothing more than an effort by the insurance industry and the asbestos manufacturers to reduce the amounts that they pay out to victims, and to substantially delay the time for payout," says Cohan.

Similar legislation has been introduced in about a dozen other states.


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