Carper Urges Republican Leadership to Delay Vote on Asbestos Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 20, 2004) – Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., today issued the following statement, urging Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., not to proceed with a cloture vote on the asbestos exposure bill [S. 2290] and instead start negotiations to get a bipartisan compromise: “We shouldn’t be pushing for a vote on the asbestos bill this week. It simply isn’t ripe. If we proceed to cloture on this bill, we are going to accomplish nothing and we may poison the well for future talks. There is a solution out there that manufacturers, the insurance industry and the labor community can live with. We just have to find it. I would urge Senator Frist to join with Senator Daschle to convene meaningful negotiations to come up with a solution that fairly compensates victims of asbestos exposure.”