SRES-666-119
Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S1690; text: CR S1675)
Sponsored by Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
What it does
This Senate resolution designates the first week of April as "National Asbestos Awareness Week." It urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate the public about health risks of asbestos exposure and requests that the resolution be transmitted to the Office of the Surgeon General.
Who benefits
Advocacy groups and public health organizations focused on asbestos-related diseases, and communities with high asbestos exposure history, such as Libby, Montana, and former shipyard workers, who may benefit from increased public attention. No group receives funding, legal rights, or regulatory changes from this resolution.
Who is hurt
No group is meaningfully affected. The resolution creates no funding, mandates, or regulatory changes and imposes no costs on any industry or individual.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma still kill thousands of Americans annually and have latency periods of 10-50 years, making public awareness critical for early detection. They contend that a designated awareness week, now in its 21st year, helps educate workers, homeowners, and communities like Libby, Montana about ongoing exposure risks in older buildings and products.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that symbolic awareness weeks consume floor time and legislative attention without producing enforceable regulatory changes, funding, or protections for exposed workers. They contend that if Congress is genuinely concerned about asbestos exposure, resources would be better directed toward substantive measures such as stricter workplace exposure limits or import bans rather than commemorative resolutions.
Constitutional context
This resolution raises no constitutional question beyond Congress's general authority to adopt simple resolutions expressing sentiment or requesting executive branch action, which does not carry the force of law.
Checks and balances
Congress adopts this as a non-binding expression of sentiment; it creates no new authority for any branch and imposes no enforceable obligation on the Surgeon General or executive branch.
Historical precedent
Similar National Asbestos Awareness Week resolutions have been passed by Congress annually for over two decades.