{"id":"1cd28358-c381-4cf6-9b8a-0415326d8bb4","feedVisibility":"normal","congress":119,"billType":"hr","billNumber":5437,"title":"Protection of Lawful Commerce in Stone Slab Products Act","displayTitle":"Protection of Lawful Commerce in Stone Slab Products Act","abstract":"Protection of Lawful Commerce in Stone Slab Products Act This bill prohibits civil actions in federal or state court against manufacturers or sellers of certain stone slab products. The term stone slab product includes a product made with quartz, mineral, crystal, glass, porcelain, or other stone, ceramic or similar material, that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Specifically, the bill prohibits a civil action against a manufacturer or seller of a stone slab product for injuries arising from or related to the fabrication of the stone slab product by another party, including injuries caused by exposure to respirable silica or other substances. The bill requires any such civil action that is pending on the date of enactment to be dismissed.","displaySummary":"<p><strong>YVN Summary</strong></p>\n\n<p>Workers who cut and polish stone countertops could no longer sue the company that made or sold the slab. The bill would block those claims in both federal and state courts. It covers silica dust illness and any other injury tied to the cutting work.\n\nLawsuits already in court would end as well. A judge would have to dismiss any pending case soon after the bill took effect. The ban would reach makers, importers, distributors, and retailers of slabs made from stone, quartz, glass, porcelain, or similar material. Workplace safety rules for cutting shops would not change, and the ban would not cover the shops themselves.</p>","status":"COMMITTEE_CONSIDERATION","topics":[],"introducedAt":"2025-09-17T00:00:00+00:00","latestActionAt":"2025-09-17T00:00:00+00:00","congressGovUrl":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5437","accountabilityFlags":{"workers_jobs":["↓ Stone workers' right to sue slab makers — silica dust illness","↓ Silica lawsuits already filed — courts would dismiss them"],"corporate_benefits":["↑ Legal shield for stone slab makers and sellers"]},"tldr":"Workers who cut stone slabs could not sue the maker or seller — cases now in court would be thrown out.","summaryStandard":"v2","flagExplainers":{"workers_jobs":["Cutting, grinding, and polishing stone slabs releases silica dust, which can scar the lungs. The ban would apply only to the maker or seller, and would not touch claims against the cutting shop itself.","Suits filed before the bill took effect would not go forward. The court would have to dismiss them as soon as practical, and the bill lists no exceptions."],"corporate_benefits":["No one could sue a slab maker or seller over harm from cutting work done by a different firm. The shield covers the whole chain, from the plant to the store, and starts the day the bill becomes law."]},"flagValence":{"workers_jobs":["bad","bad"],"corporate_benefits":["contested"]},"needsResummary":false,"displaySummaryHtml":null,"rawStatusText":"Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.","chamber":"HOUSE","policyArea":"Law","legislativeSubjects":["Civil actions and liability","Consumer affairs","Manufacturing"],"lawStatus":null,"lawNumber":null,"latestActionText":"Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 16 - 7.","latestTextVersion":"Introduced in House","textVersionUsed":null,"dateAdded":"2026-09-02T00:00:00+00:00","summarizedAt":"2026-09-02T16:42:36+00:00","recordId":"1cd28358-c381-4cf6-9b8a-0415326d8bb4","feedIdentityKey":"119/hr/5437","websiteBillId":"HR-5437","yourvoiceSummary":"Workers who cut and polish stone countertops could no longer sue the company that made or sold the slab. The bill would block those claims in both federal and state courts. It covers silica dust illness and any other injury tied to the cutting work.\n\nLawsuits already in court would end as well. A judge would have to dismiss any pending case soon after the bill took effect. The ban would reach makers, importers, distributors, and retailers of slabs made from stone, quartz, glass, porcelain, or similar material. Workplace safety rules for cutting shops would not change, and the ban would not cover the shops themselves.","updatedAt":"2026-10-25T01:47:20.587004+00:00"}