Posted on October 1, 2021
For the fourth time, I was incredibly honored to be invited to give a virtual lecture at American University Washington College of Law on behalf of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). Professor Bettina Poirier’s extensive career on The Hill undoubtedly brings real-life experience and knowledge to law students. I wanted to contribute to this class in order to help expand the students’ understanding of what it takes to get legislation drafted and passed. My talk will be centered around the past 17 years of legislative actions from a nonprofit’s perspective of legislative and legal strategy and tactics. I will share insights and facts in my presentation “Asbestos: Drafting Legislation During Tumultuous Times.” 
Drafting legislation is a marathon, never a sprint. Similar to a war, there are many battles along the way. Sharing ADAO’s legal and legislative strategies and tactics with students again in a great honor. As Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
I want to make sure the students understand that drafting legislation takes time, sometimes years or decades, and that in order to be successful you must be patient and tactful. Similar to a war, there are many battles along the way. Shaping public policy moves slowly, but our prevention and policy efforts have led to the bicameral Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act of 2019.
From Asbestos Awareness Week Resolutions, to the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act of 2019, and two ADAO v. EPA cases, I look forward to sharing the behind-the-scenes truth about drafting and passing legislation.
Together, time has proven that we can make change happen and we are all deeply committed to legal and legislative strategies that prevent asbestos exposure to eliminate all asbestos-caused diseases.
Linda Reinstein