CHARLESTON, W.Va. (Legal Newsline) – West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has signed Senate Bill 411, also known as the Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims Transparency Act and the Asbestos and Silica Claims Priorities Act.

Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson; Senator Ryan Ferns, R-Ohio; Senator Ed Gaunch, R-Kanawha; and Senator Jeff Mullins,R-Raleigh, also were sponsors of the bill. The measure, which was sponsored by Kanawha County Republican Senator Tom Takubo, will establish legal standards and procedures for the handling of certain asbestos and silica claims. Additionally, it creates medical criteria procedures, statute of limitations standards, and requires disclosure of existing and potential asbestos bankruptcy trust claims.