FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November
18, 2013
House
Passes Legislation Increasing Penalties for Corporate Manslaughter
(BOSTON) – State Rep. Thomas Golden joined
his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in voting
unanimously to update the maximum fine for a corporate manslaughter law from
$1,000 to $250,000.
The law in question
allows the Attorney General to hold corporations responsible for criminally
negligent behavior. It had not been updated since 1819.
State Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty (D – Chelsea), Chair of
the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, sponsored the bill. He cited recent
tragedies such as the 2006 Big Dig collapse that killed a woman and the 2012
meningitis outbreak that killed 64 and originated in a Framingham compounding pharmacy.
“I
was happy to sponsor and support this important legislation,” State Rep. O’Flaherty said. “Companies doing business in our Commonwealth
need to be held to the highest standards and therefore penalties must be
increased accordingly.”
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D-Winthrop) said, “No amount
of money can ever compensate for the loss of a life. However, we must ensure
that companies are held to the highest standard of accountability.”
Attorney General Martha
Coakley
echoed House Speaker Deleo’s comments: “No amount of money can compensate for
the loss of an individual’s life, but the threat of a substantial fine can
deter irresponsible shortcuts taken by companies that put lives in danger. This
is a common sense update to more effectively address corporate responsibility
in the wake of criminally negligent behavior.”
###
No comments:
Post a Comment