Senate Bill 297 Summary

• Establishes a statute of limitations for occupational disease claims based on exposure to hazardous substances, requiring disablement to occur within two years of knowledge that the disease is work-related.

• Expands product liability actions against persons who mined or sold commercial asbestos products (changes "and" to "or"), and applies to all actions accruing before, on, or after July 1, 2010.

• Creates a one-year filing window from July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 for otherwise time-barred claims involving occupational disease from hazardous substance exposure, personal injury or death from asbestos exposure, or property damage from asbestos.

• Defines "hazardous substance" as materials determined to be hazardous by the EPA, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Transportation, or OSHA.

• Effective July 1, 2010.