Georgia Governor In No Rush To Sign Asbestos Reform Bill
Insurers are hopeful that Georgias governor will sign a measure passed by the legislature that would bar asbestos lawsuits by those who have not shown signs of injury.
The American Insurance Association said they believe the measure would get the signature of Gov. Sonny Perdue because he has expressed himself in favor of litigation reform.
Gov. Perdues office said the governor has not yet taken a position on the asbestos medical criteria bill given final approval by the General Assembly, and that he will take time to review the measure during the upcoming bill-signing period before making his decision.
"The governor's office has not taken a position on the bill. It's not part of our legislative package," said a representative for Gov. Perdue, Derrick Dickey.
Mr. Dickey said Gov. Perdue will sign the bill or veto it upon review during the 40-day bill signing period beginning April 1. The bill, if the governor decides to approve it, would be signed between April 1 and mid-May, he added.
The asbestos medical criteria legislationH.B. 416will require asbestos claimants to meet a minimum level of medical criteria before filing any legal action.
The bill also revises the statute of limitations, so that individuals who don't yet show signs of impairment will be able to file a claim when and if they ever do get sick.
H.B. 416 also requires those who file claims in Georgia to show that they were either exposed to asbestos in the state or are residents.
AIA commented that this bill could ensure that those in Georgia who are truly sick from asbestos exposure will be fully compensated, instead of being forced to compete for claims dollars with the growing number of claimants who are not currently sick or who have had minimal exposure.
When asked whether the group expects Gov. Perdue to sign the bill after review, AIA said it is optimistic. "This was not a bill on his agenda. But you could say that we are optimistic that he will sign it, based on Gov. Perdue's stance on tort reform. We are optimistic that he would sign it," said AIAs director of public affairs, Julie Pulliam.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Edition, March 25, 2005. Copyright 2005 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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