ALL LDAC MEMBERS:
Act Now for Asbestos Litigation Reform!
The Lumber Dealers Association of Connecticut (LDAC) is a member of the Connecticut Asbestos Litigation Fairness Coalition, which is coordinating a campaign to thank Senator Frist, majority leader and Senator McConnell, majority whip for their commitment to raise asbestos litigation reform legislation in the Senate for a vote in January 2006.

This federal legislation is designed to provide tremendous asbestos litigation relief to the building material supply industry (and other industries). Under the bill, businesses that incurred less than one million dollars in asbestos litigation costs will have current and future asbestos lawsuits handled by a new Workers’ Compensation type system free of charge.

Please review the attached letter thanking Senators Frist and McConnell for their critical support advancing this legislation and fax your signature written on the line below to the NRLA to be added as a signatory to the letter. The NRLA fax number is 518.286.1949.

Your signature will not be used for any other purposes and will be destroyed following this one-time use.

The Honorable Bill Frist
Majority Leader Majority Whip
United States Senate
509 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
United States Senate
361-A Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senators Frist and McConnell:

Thank you for your recent statements underlining the importance of the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act to people across our country who need the asbestos litigation system fixed. This broken system not only hurts victims of the disease but also small and large business owners throughout the United States. We thank you for your pledge to bring the FAIR Act to the Senate floor in January 2006.

Small-business owners throughout Connecticut need to be rescued from this failed system. They need the Senate to replace the broken asbestos litigation system with a no-fault, privately financed national asbestos victims’ compensation fund.

The FAIR Act victims’ compensation fund is a vast improvement over our current broken litigation system. With most of the companies responsible for asbestos exposure in the workplace now bankrupt, trial lawyers have switched their focus to small businesses, many with fewer than 20 employees. A number of these businesses are located here in Connecticut and provide the backbone of some of our local economies. In fact most of the 300,000 pending asbestos lawsuits name at least one small business defendant. Because these small businesses lack the resources to defend themselves, bankruptcies are a virtual inevitability if something is not done to fix the current system.

The FAIR Act would provide compensation to sick victims promptly and reliably. What’s more, the FAIR Act would exempt small businesses with less than $1 million in historic asbestos liability from any funding obligations.

Asbestos victims and small and large employers in Connecticut need relief. Sick victims fighting asbestos-related illnesses deserve just and timely compensation, and Connecticut’s businesses need protection from scattershot lawsuits.

That is why our coalition is thanking you today for your promise to fix this system by making the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act a Senate priority in 2006.

Sincerely,

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