Asbestos: Supporters Say Trust Fund Bill Still Alive in Senate
Although asbestos legislation has stalled in the Senate, the bill’s advocates are not yet counting it dead. The measure would set up a $140-billion trust fund to compensate victims of asbestos exposure. On Feb. 14 supporters fell two votes short of the 60 needed to override a budget point of order.
But the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), claims he has the two votes —those of Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who didn’t vote Feb. 14 because his wife was sick, and Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who originally voted with Specter but switched so he could bring up the bill in the future “We have just begun the fight,” Specter says.