To provide for the fair and efficient judicial consideration of personal injury and wrongful death claims arising out of asbestos exposure, to ensure that individuals who suffer harm, now or in the future, from illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos receive compensation for their injuries, and for other purposes.

February 13, 2003

Mr. NICKLES introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

To provide for the fair and efficient judicial consideration of personal injury and wrongful death claims arising out of asbestos exposure, to ensure that individuals who suffer harm, now or in the future, from illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos receive compensation for their injuries, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) SHORT TITLE- This Act may be cited as the `Asbestos Claims Criteria and Compensation Act of 2003'.

(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS- The table of contents is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.

Sec. 3. Definitions.

Sec. 4. Physical impairment.

Sec. 5. Procedures; removal.

Sec. 6. Statute of limitations; two-disease rule.

Sec. 7. Miscellaneous provisions.

Sec. 8. Effective date.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that--

(1) asbestos is a mineral that was widely used before the 1980s for insulation, fireproofing, and other purposes;

(2) millions of American workers and others were significantly exposed to asbestos, especially during and after World War II and before the advent of regulation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the early 1970s;

(3) exposure to asbestos has been associated with various types of cancer, including mesothelioma and lung cancer, and such nonmalignant conditions as asbestosis, pleural plaques, and diffuse pleural thickening;

(4) the diseases caused by asbestos have latency periods of up to 40 years or more, but the most serious asbestos-related disease, mesothelioma, is fatal within 1 to 2 years, and other related cancers are often fatal;

(5) although the use of asbestos has dramatically declined since 1980 and workplace exposures have been regulated since 1971 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, past exposures will continue to result in significant death and disability from mesothelioma and other cancers well into the 21st century;

(6) exposure to asbestos has created a flood of litigation targeting approximately 8,400 defendant companies in Federal and State courts that the United States Supreme Court has characterized as `an elephantine mass' of cases that `defies customary judicial administration and calls for national legislation,' Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corporation, 119 S. Ct. 2295, 2302 (1999);

(7) the American Bar Association supports enactment of Federal legislation that would--

(A) allow persons alleging non-malignant asbestos-related disease claims to file a cause of action in Federal or State court only if those persons meet the medical criteria in the `ABA Standard for Non-Malignant Asbestos-Related Disease Claims' dated February 2003 or an appropriate similar medical standard; and

(B) toll all applicable statutes of limitations until such time as the medical criteria in such standard are met;

(8) asbestos personal injury litigation can be unfair and inefficient, imposing a severe burden on litigants and taxpayers alike, in most cases involving defendant companies that were never involved in the production of asbestos;

(9) the extraordinary volume of nonmalignant asbestos cases continues to strain Federal and State courts, with over 200,000 cases pending and over 50,000 new cases filed each year;

(10) asbestos personal injury litigation has already contributed to the bankruptcy of more than 60 companies and the rate of asbestos-driven bankruptcies is accelerating;

(11) the vast majority of asbestos claims are filed by individuals who--

(A) have been exposed to asbestos;

(B) may have some physical sign of exposure; and

(C) suffer no present asbestos-related impairment;

(12) the cost of compensating exposed persons who are not sick--

(A) jeopardizes the ability of defendants to compensate people with cancer and other serious asbestos-related diseases, now and in the future; and

(B) strains the ability of courts to manage the deluge of cases involving nonimpaired plaintiffs;

(13) an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 workers have lost their jobs as a direct result of asbestos litigation and related bankruptcies of defendant companies and each displaced worker will, on average, lose between $25,000 and $50,000 in lost wages;

(14) employees of defendant companies declaring bankruptcy (who are often stockholders of those companies) will, on average, lose 25 percent of the value of their retirement investment under section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 because of lost stock value;

(15) concerns about statutes of limitations can force claimants who have been exposed to asbestos but who have no current injury to bring premature lawsuits in order to protect against losing their rights to future compensation should those claimants become impaired;

(16) consolidations, joinder, and similar procedures, to which some courts have resorted in order to deal with the mass of asbestos cases, can undermine the appropriate functioning of the judicial process and encourage the filing of thousands of cases by exposed persons who are not yet sick and who may never become sick;

(17) the availability of sympathetic forums in States with no connection to the plaintiff or to the exposures that form the basis of a lawsuit has encouraged the filing of thousands of cases on behalf of exposed persons who are not yet sick and may never become sick;

(18) asbestos litigation, if left unchecked by reasonable congressional intervention, will--

(A) continue to inhibit the economy and run counter to plans to stimulate economic growth and the creation of new jobs;

(B) threaten the savings, retirement benefits, and employment of defendants' current and retired employees;

(C) affect adversely the communities in which these defendants operate; and

(D) impair interstate commerce and national initiatives, including national security; and

(19) the public interest and the interest of interstate commerce requires deferring the claims of exposed persons who are not sick in order to--

(A) preserve, now and for the future, defendants' ability to compensate people who develop cancer and other serious asbestos-related injuries; and

(B) safeguard the jobs, benefits, and savings of American workers and the well-being of the national economy.

(b) PURPOSES- It is the purpose of this Act to--

(1) give priority to those asbestos claimants who can demonstrate actual physical harm or illness caused by asbestos;

(2) fully preserve the rights of claimants who were exposed to asbestos to pursue compensation should those claimants become sick in the future;

(3) enhance the ability of the Federal and State judicial systems to supervise and control asbestos litigation and asbestos-related bankruptcy proceedings; and

(4) conserve the scarce resources of the defendants, and marshal assets in bankruptcy, to allow compensation of cancer victims and others who are physically harmed by exposure to asbestos while securing the right to similar compensation for those who may suffer physical harm in the future.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) AMA GUIDES TO THE EVALUATION OF PERMANENT IMPAIRMENT- The term `AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment' means the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (Fifth Edition 2000).

(2) ASBESTOS- The term `asbestos' includes all minerals defined as `asbestos' under section 1910 of title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(3) ASBESTOS CLAIM- The term `asbestos claim'--

(A) means any claim for damages or other relief presented in a civil action or bankruptcy proceeding, arising out of, based on, or related to the health effects of exposure to asbestos, including loss of consortium and any other derivative claim made by or on behalf of any exposed person or any representative, spouse, parent, child or other relative of any exposed person; and

(B) does not include claims for benefits under a workers' compensation law or veterans' benefits program, or claims brought by any person as a subrogee by virtue of the payment of benefits under a workers' compensation law.

(4) ASBESTOSIS- The term `asbestosis' means bilateral diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lungs caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers.

(5) CERTIFIED B-READER- The term `certified B-reader' means an individual qualified as a `final' or `B-reader' under section 37.51(b) of title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(6) CIVIL ACTION- The term `civil action'--

(A) means all suits of a civil nature in Federal or State court, whether cognizable as cases at law or in equity or in admiralty; and

(B) does not include an action relating to any workers' compensation law, or a proceeding for benefits under any veterans' benefits program.

(7) EXPOSED PERSON- The term `exposed person' means any person whose exposure to asbestos or to asbestos-containing products is the basis for an asbestos claim.

(8) FEV1- The term `FEV1' means forced expiratory volume in the first second, which is the maximal volume of air expelled in 1 second during performance of simple spirometric tests.

(9) FVC- The term `FVC' means forced vital capacity, which is the maximal volume of air expired with maximum effort from a position of full inspiration.

(10) ILO SCALE- The term `ILO Scale' means the system for the classification of chest x-rays set forth in the International Labour Office's Guidelines for the Use of ILO International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses (1980) as amended by the International Labour Office.

(11) NONMALIGNANT CONDITION- The term `nonmalignant condition' means any condition that is caused or may be caused by asbestos other than a diagnosed cancer.

(12) PATHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF ASBESTOSIS- The term `pathological evidence of asbestosis' means a statement by a Board-certified pathologist that--

(A) more than 1 representative section of lung tissue uninvolved with any other disease process demonstrates a pattern of peribronchiolar or parenchymal scarring in the presence of characteristic asbestos bodies; and

(B) there is no other more likely explanation for the presence of the fibrosis.

(13) PREDICTED LOWER LIMIT OF NORMAL- The term `predicted lower limit of normal' for any test means the fifth percentile of healthy populations based on age, height, and gender, as referenced in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.

(14) RADIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF ASBESTOSIS- The term `radiological evidence of asbestosis' means a chest x-ray showing small, irregular opacities (s,t) graded by a certified B-reader as at least 1/1 on the ILO scale.

(15) RADIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF DIFFUSE PLEURAL THICKENING- The term `radiological evidence of diffuse pleural thickening' means a chest x-ray showing bilateral pleural thickening of at least B2 on the ILO scale and blunting of at least 1 costophrenic angle.

(16) STATE- The term `State' means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and any other territory or possession of the United States or any political subdivision of any of the entities under this paragraph.

(17) VETERANS' BENEFITS PROGRAM- The term `veterans' benefits program' means any program for benefits in connection with military service administered by the Veterans' Administration under title 38, United States Code.

(18) WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAW- The term `workers' compensation law'--

(A) means a law respecting a program administered by a State or the United States to provide benefits, funded by a responsible employer or an insurance carrier of that employer, for occupational diseases or injuries or for disability or death caused by occupational diseases or injuries;

(B) includes the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) and chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code; and

(C) does not include the Federal Employer's Liability Act (45 U.S.C. 51 et seq.).

SEC. 4. PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT.

(a) IMPAIRMENT ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF CLAIM- Physical impairment of the exposed person, to which asbestos exposure was a substantial contributing factor, shall be an essential element of an asbestos claim. For purposes of this section, cancer shall be presumed to involve physical impairment.

(b) PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE OF PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT-

(1) IN GENERAL- No person shall bring or maintain a civil action alleging a nonmalignant asbestos claim in the absence of a prima facie showing of physical impairment as a result of a medical condition to which exposure to asbestos was a substantial contributing factor.

(2) REQUIREMENTS OF PRIMA FACIE SHOWING- A prima facie showing under this subsection shall include all of the following minimum requirements:

(A) PERMANENT RESPIRATORY IMPAIRMENT RATING- A determination by a qualified physician, on the basis of a medical examination and pulmonary function testing, that the exposed person has a permanent respiratory impairment rating of at least Class 2 as defined by and evaluated under the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.

(B) DIAGNOSIS- A diagnosis by a qualified physician of asbestosis or diffuse pleural thickening, based at a minimum on pathological evidence of asbestosis, radiological evidence of asbestosis, or radiological evidence of diffuse pleural thickening.

(C) SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTING FACTOR- A determination by a qualified physician that asbestosis or diffuse pleural thickening (rather than solely chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a substantial contributing factor to the exposed person's physical impairment, based at a minimum on a determination that the exposed person has either--

(i) a ratio of FEV1 to FVC that is equal to or greater than the predicted lower limit of normal; or

(ii) a chest x-ray showing small, irregular opacities (s,t) graded by a certified B-reader at least 2/1 on the ILO scale.

(c) COMPLIANCE WITH TECHNICAL STANDARDS-

(1) IN GENERAL- Evidence relating to physical impairment under this section, including pulmonary function testing and diffusing studies, shall comply with--

(A) the technical recommendations for examinations, testing procedures, quality assurance and quality control, and equipment of the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment; or

(B) if the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment are not applicable, other authoritative standards.

(2) ADJUSTMENTS- No adjustments with respect to pulmonary function testing shall be made on the basis of race.

(d) NO PRESUMPTION AT TRIAL- Presentation of prima facie evidence of asbestos-related impairment meeting the requirements of this section shall not result in any presumption at trial that the exposed person is impaired by an asbestos-related condition, and evidence that the exposed person made a prima facie showing of impairment shall not be admissible at trial.

SEC. 5. PROCEDURES; REMOVAL.

(a) CONSOLIDATION- A court may consolidate for trial any number and type of asbestos claims with consent of all the parties. In the absence of such consent, the court may consolidate for trial only asbestos claims relating to the same exposed person and members of the household of the exposed person.

(b) VENUE-

(1) IN GENERAL- A civil action asserting an asbestos claim may only be brought in the State of the plaintiff's domicile or a State in which there occurred exposure to asbestos that is a substantial contributing factor to the physical impairment on which the claim is based.

(2) INAPPLICABILITY- Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a claim that--

(A) is based upon an exposed person's cancer; and

(B) is filed by an exposed person who is diagnosed with fatal mesothelioma or other asbestos-related cancer by a qualified physician, resulting in a short life expectancy of less than 3 years after the date on which the claim is filed.

(c) PRELIMINARY PROCEEDINGS- The plaintiff in any civil action involving an asbestos claim shall file with the complaint or other initial pleading a written report and supporting test results constituting prima facie evidence of the exposed person's asbestos-related impairment meeting the requirements of section 4(b). The defendant shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to challenge the adequacy of the proffered prima facie evidence of asbestos-related impairment. The plaintiff's claim shall be dismissed without prejudice upon a finding of failure to make the required prima facie showing.

(d) REMOVAL-

(1) IN GENERAL- If a State court refuses or fails to apply this section, any party in a civil action for an asbestos claim may remove such action to a district court of the United States in accordance with chapter 89 of title 28, United States Code.

(2) JURISDICTION OVER REMOVED ACTIONS- The district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction of all civil actions removed under this subsection, without regard to the amount in controversy and without regard to the citizenship or residence of the parties.

(3) REMOVAL BY ANY DEFENDANT- A civil action may be removed to the district court of the United States under this subsection by any defendant without the consent of all defendants.

(4) REMAND- The district court shall remand any civil action removed solely under this subsection, unless the court finds that--

(A) the State court failed to comply with procedures prescribed by law; or

(B) the failure to dismiss by the State court lacked substantial support in the record before the State court.

SEC. 6. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS; TWO-DISEASE RULE.

(a) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with respect to any nonmalignant asbestos claim not barred on the effective date of this Act, the limitations period shall not begin to run until the exposed person discovers, or through the exercise of reasonable diligence should have discovered, that the exposed person is physically impaired by an asbestos-related nonmalignant condition.

(b) TWO-DISEASE RULE- An asbestos claim arising out of a nonmalignant condition shall be a distinct cause of action from an asbestos claim relating to the same exposed person arising out of asbestos-related cancer. No damages shall be awarded for fear or risk of cancer in any civil action asserting only a nonmalignant asbestos claim.

(c) GENERAL RELEASES FROM LIABILITY PROHIBITED- No settlement of a nonmalignant asbestos claim concluded after the date of enactment of this Act shall require, as a condition of settlement, release of any future claim for asbestos-related cancer.

SEC. 7. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

(a) CONSTRUCTION WITH OTHER LAWS- This Act shall not be construed to--

(1) affect the scope or operation of any workers' compensation law or veterans' benefit program;

(2) affect the exclusive remedy or subrogation provisions of any such law; or

(3) authorize any lawsuit which is barred by any such provision of law.

(b) CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY- The Constitutional authority for this Act is contained in Article I, section 8, clause 3 and Article III, section 1 of the Constitution of the United States.

SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.

This Act shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act and apply to any civil action asserting an asbestos claim in which trial has not commenced as of that date.

END