Co-Sponsor of Asbestos Bill Steps Down From Committee Post Amid Probe

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | 0

A key sponsor of one of the most controversial workplace injury laws in years has resigned his chairmanship of a state Senate committee after the FBI searched his home and office as part of probe into construction contracts.

Sen. Martin Sandoval

The Associated Press reported that Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, stepped down Friday from his post as head of the Senate Transportation Committee at the request of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. A federal search warrant shows that the raid by federal agents was related to information on a Chicago-area architectural firm, a red-light ticket camera company, lobbyists and construction companies, according to news reports.

No one has been charged in the investigation, and at least one company named in the warrant has denied wrongdoing.

Sandoval was considered a mover and shaker for Pritzker's $45 billion infrastructure and road rebuilding initiative, which passed the legislature last spring.

Sandoval also co-sponsored Senate Bill 1596, which now allows asbestos lawsuits to be filed in court after the workers' compensation 25-year statute of repose has expired.

Business groups objected strongly to the bill, which Pritzker signed into law in July. Many employers and defense attorneys have asked why lawmakers didn't simply extend the statute of limitations, to keep asbestos workplace claims in the comp arena. Now, some employers may face multimillion tort claims from employees whose asbestos-related diseases did not show symptoms until many years after exposure.