Senator Daschle Moves Towards Frist’s Way Of Thinking -- MesoLink.org -- 09-20-04

Democratic leader, Senator Tom Daschle, has written to Senator Bill Frist, advising that he is prepared to agree on the reduced trust fund figure put forward by the Majority Leader. The letter was sent on 15th September following months of disagreement between the two officials.

After the failure of the last asbestos trust fun bill earlier this year, the two Senators came up with proposals for a new trust fund. There were some key differences in the two proposals:Senator Daschle was proposing a trust fund of around $145 billion, whereas Senator Frist was suggesting a reduced fund of $140 billion.

Another key difference, which seemed to be causing some disagreement, was that Senator Daschle wanted cases that were already being heard at the time the bills was passed to continue through the court systems. Frist, on the other hand, wanted all cases including those pending, to revert to the new system.

In his letter to Bill Frist, Tom Daschle states:

“In your latest letter regarding the asbestos negotiations, you asked whether I could move in your direction on two issues: the national trust fund start-up and pending cases.”

A little further down in the letter, Daschle states:

“As you will see from my new proposal, I have again moved on overall funding by accepting the number of $140 billion that you have stated is essential for an agreement. I have moved towards your position on start-up and pending cases as you requested…”

As the two senators band figures and proposals back and forth, asbestos victims, lawyers and support groups are keeping their fingers crossed that neither proposal will be successful, as it is felt that the trust fund is more concerned with damage limitation for the asbestos companies and manufacturers rather than seeing justice done for mesothelioma victims.