Stone slab makers shielded from liability for silica injuries workers suffer

What it does

This bill prohibits workers injured by silica dust exposure during stone slab fabrication from suing the manufacturers and sellers of those stone slabs in federal or state court. It dismisses all pending lawsuits and bars future ones, even though fabricators—not the manufacturers—control the safety practices that cause the injury. Workers retain claims only if the manufacturer was their direct employer.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a blanket prohibition on civil liability for manufacturers and sellers of stone slabs for injuries caused by third-party fabricators. It is functionally a liability immunity statute, not a consumer-protection or safety measure.

What the text implies

• Workers injured by silica dust during fabrication lose access to the supply chain as a source of recovery, even though manufacturers and sellers profit from the sale of products they know will be altered in ways that generate silica dust.
• The bill's carve-out for direct-employer claims (Section 4(2)(B)) creates a perverse incentive: workers are protected only if the manufacturer directly employed them, but most stone slab fabrication is performed by independent contractors or third-party shops—the very scenario the bill shields.
• State workplace safety regulations (cited in findings) impose duties on fabricators, not manufacturers, but the bill prevents workers from using tort law to enforce accountability when those regulations fail or are violated.
• The bill's framing of lawsuits as 'frivolous' and a burden on commerce presupposes the outcome of pending litigation and may prevent courts from evaluating the merits of individual claims.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Workers injured by silica dust—an occupational hazard—lose their right to hold manufacturers and sellers accountable for supplying products they knew would be altered in ways that generate dangerous dust. The bill shields the supply chain from liability while workers bear the full cost of injuries caused by third-party negligence beyond their control.

Who stands to gain

• stone slab manufacturers
• stone slab distributors and retailers
• stone slab importers

Named in the bill

manufacturers of stone slab products, sellers of stone slab products, stone slab fabricators, OSHA (29 CFR 1910.1053), California Labor Code Section 5204, Federal and State occupational health and safety regulators

Where it stands

• Jun 16, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jun 16, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

5 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $220,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 2 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 78% of bills with at least one filing.

Ashley Moody, the sponsor, reported $2,234,100 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Ms International, Inc. — $60,000 on 1 filing
• C&c North America, Inc. D/b/a Cosentino North America — $50,000 on 1 filing
• Cambria Company LLC — $50,000 on 1 filing
• Dal-tile Corporation — $50,000 on 1 filing
• American Tort Reform Association — $10,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.