Frustrated by the slow pace of more than 1,800 lawsuits filed against the government over harm from decades of contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, a bipartisan group in Congress is pushing legislation to try to speed things along.
A bill from Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., with 11 co-sponsors as of Thursday, would broaden the terms of a 2022 law that gave victims of the tainted water the right to sue for damages and would allow plaintiffs to request jury trials despite a February decision by four federal judges in North Carolina that they would hear the cases themselves.
And a bill sponsored by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., that passed the Senate by unanimous consent on June 4 would offer free services to veterans and attorneys who need “guidance and advice on any disability awards, payments, or benefits” in the Camp Lejeune litigation.
