Opponent of federal asbestos bill seeks Senate seat
New Jersey’s Dick Zimmer, who left Congress in 1997, has decided he wants back in; Zimmer is running for the Senate this time. After leaving his seat in the House of Representatives, Zimmer went to work in the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher as a lobbyist for various interests, including several asbestos trusts created with the assets of bankrupt asbestos manufacturers. The trusts were to be distributed as compensation to victims of asbestos exposure. Zimmer lobbied Congress on behalf of the trusts in opposition to a bill sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.), who wanted to create one giant national asbestos trust fund that would limit the amounts paid to mesothelioma victims injured by asbestos exposure. The bill died in February 2006 after it was fiercely opposed both by insurers and trial lawyers. The asbestos trusts objected to Specter’s proposed fund because it would have taken their assets to fund the mega-trust. Zimmer argued that such a taking was unconstitutional. Now Zimmer is looking to leave the world of lobbying to go back to Washington. The move is unconventional, experts say, mainly because a lobbyist’s pay is far more lucrative than a senator’s pay of $169,000. Zimmer is on leave from his lobbying duties during his Senate campaign.
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