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Dr. Charles Mullin invited to speak on the proposed
FAIR Act legislation at the American Legislative Exchange Council
Summit
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 28, 2005—Dr. Charles Mullin,
a Bates White Partner, was invited by the American Legislative
Exchange Council (ALEC) to participate in its 2005 States and
Nation Policy Summit. Dr. Mullin participated in a panel that
discussed the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution (FAIR) Act
(“The FAIR Act: An Economic Analysis”). The three-day
summit was held the week of December 5, 2005 in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Mullin explained why the Trust Fund proposed under the FAIR
Act is not financially viable in its current form and would go
bankrupt in a few years. He illustrated how the FAIR Act establishes
an entitlement for compensation to large numbers of lung and other
cancer patients who currently do not have a valid tort claim.
Whereas lung cancer claimants face the prospect of jury trials
in today’s tort system—where they need to establish
asbestos as the likely cause of their cancer—the FAIR Act
replaces this with a contributing factor standard of proof. The
result is that the $140 billion in receipts specified in the FAIR
Act are not sufficient to cover the number of lung and other cancer
claimants who could potentially file against the Fund. The other
panel members were Dr. Denise Martin (NERA), Jeff Dircksen (National
Taxpayers Union), and James Stengel (Orrick).
ALEC’s summit attracted 300 state legislators to discuss
critical issues facing the states and nation. Issues ranged from
tort reform to homeland security to education reform. ALEC State
Legislators shared their knowledge and experience with each other,
as well as heard from national leaders, renowned policy experts,
and business executives.
The American Legislative Exchange Council is the nation’s
largest nonpartisan, individual membership organization of state
legislators, with over 2,400 legislator members from all 50 states
and 96 former members serving the U.S. Congress.
Click here to access Bates
White’s testimony on the FAIR Act.
About Bates White
Bates White is a national economic consulting firm of more than 150 professionals.
Established in 1999, Bates White offers consulting services in economics,
finance,
and business analytics. Bates White has offices in Washington, D.C., and San
Diego, Calif.
www.bateswhite.com
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