The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has honored two West Virginia legislators for “principled leadership” and pushing through “historic [legal] reforms.”

Survivors of the thousands of West Virginians who have died from asbestos-related diseases since 1999 might not agree.

The Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform gave its 2015 Legislative Achievement Award to state Senate President Bill Cole and House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead for championing “reforms” that included a bill that will make it much harder for victims to receive just compensation for the deadly diseases caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. Senate Bill 411 was signed into law by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in June.

The bill erects a series of legal and administrative barriers that suffering and dying asbestos victims must hurdle before they see any compensation – resources most desperately need to pay for staggering medical bills.

The new law was modeled after a draft bill created by the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a right-wing bill mill that is financially supported by major asbestos interests, including Koch Industries.

“These are the types of reforms that will serve to benefit all West Virginians,” Cole told the West Virginia Record, an online “news” site that – perhaps not coincidentally – is owned by the Institute for Legal Reform. “Tim and I might be the ones listed for this award, but we take our hats off to the Legislature. We all worked hard on these bills.”

So let’s give credit where it’s due. Congratulations to not only Senator Cole and Speaker Armstead, but to the 86 members of the House and 34 members of Senate who stood with the asbestos industry to protect corporate profits over fair treatment for asbestos victims in the Mountain State.