U.S. Rep. Bruce Vento (D-Minn) Diagnosed with Malignant Mesothelioma

Rep. Bruce Vento, D-Minn., announced on February 2, 2000 that he has asbestos-related malignant mesothelioma and he will not seek a 13th term.

Bruce Vento

Rep. Vento was diagnosed by doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. According to the Congressman:

"Recent medical exams have revealed that I have cancer. The type of lung cancer is malignant mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos. The cancer was detected in the first stages and is believed by my physicians to be treatable.

The specialists at the Mayo Clinic have recommended an aggressive course of treatment. Such treatment must be my first priority. It is a fight that I did not expect but it is a challenge that I hope to win."

Vento, a St. Paul native, has represented the 4th District since 1977. The district includes the eastern area of the Twin Cities and is considered Democratic-leaning because of its strong labor tradition and concentration of state government workers.

Congressman Vento has worked, among other trades, as a laborer at Horner Waldorf, Whirlpool, Minnesota Plastics and the Hamm's Brewery. He served as a Machinist union steward while working at Minnesota Plastics. Vento went on to teach science and social studies in the Minneapolis public schools for more than ten years.

Currently, the House Judiciary Committee, Chaired by Henry Hyde, is considering legislation that is backed by several asbestos companies that would curb the rights of asbestos victims, such as Rep. Vento, to pursue damages in civil court. The industry-backed "Fairness in Asbestos Compensation Act" would create a federal bureaucracy that would pre-screen all asbestos claims before the claimant is allowed to file a civil claim against the asbestos manufacturers.

The industry argues that this would alleviate "docket clog". However, the requirement that claimants receive the blessing of a federal agency before exercising their constitutional right to seek civil recourse would jeopardize the claims of extremely ill cancer patients, like Congressman Vento. In California, for example, if a claimant dies before his claim is decided by a jury, the decedent's family is not allowed to pursue damages for the pain and suffering that the claimant endured.

*** UPDATED JUNE 30, 2000 ***