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U.S.
Senate votes to move ahead on asbestos bill
U.S.
Senate votes to move ahead on asbestos bill Staff and agencies08 February, 2006
By Susan Cornwell 2 hours, 17 minutes ago WASHINGTON - The United States Senate on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to consider a bill to halt asbestos lawsuits and create a $140 billion fund for people suffering from asbestos-related diseases, but many hurdles to the bill‘s approval remained.
For years, asbestos fibers were widely used for their insulating and fire-retardant capabilities, but they are linked to lung-scarring diseases, including cancer.
Hundreds of thousands of asbestos injury claims have been filed, helping to push into bankruptcy some 70 U.S.
companies, including W.R.
Grace & Co.
and USG Corp..
Bill supporters won an important victory on Tuesday with the 98-1 defeat of a procedural attempt to kill it.
The lopsided vote came after Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, dropped his objections and encouraged others to join him in bringing the measure to the floor.
The bill‘s co-sponsor, Pennsylv, , ), said he knew other threats could still prove fatal to the controversial legislation.
"There are lot of people against this bill who will use every opportunity they can find to defeat it, so I am prepared for anything," he told reporters.
Reid, whose earlier objection had forced Tuesday‘s procedural vote, made clear his decision to back debate was in no way an endorsement of the bill.
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