Asbestos Legislation

School board members for the Cloquet, Minnesota, school district have unanimously voted to approve a preliminary tax levy certification after the completion of asbestos removal lowered the district's general debt, the Pine Journal reports.

The school board decided to levy the maximum amount possible for now, because downward adjustments can be made to the levy between now and December, when the final certification will take place, the news provider said.

The levy is projected to decrease by approximately $321,000 district-wide, nearly an 8 percent reduction from last year's levy, according to the news source.

The decrease comes as a result of a reduction of the general debt, which is currently at more than $270,000, because the district no longer needs to pay for asbestos removal, which has already been completed in the schools, the news provider said.

Asbestos is a dangerous mineral that causes a number of deadly diseases including lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the U.S. each year and the disease can be contracted by men and women at any age.