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Senate Test, Faces New Hurdles Feb.

8 (Bloomberg) - A proposed $140 billion fund to help asbestos victims and end lawsuits that have bankrupted almost 80 companies faces new obstacles after clearing its first hurdle in the U.S.

Senate.

The Senate's 98-1 vote yesterday to permit consideration of the plan marks the first time the legislation will undergo floor debate since it was approved by the Judiciary Committee in 2003.

Democrats previously blocked floor debate, and senators of both parties are poised to raise new complaints now.

One of those objections is a claim the plan violates budget spending limits.

Under Senate rules, it would take 60 votes to overcome any objection that the fund exceeds the budget cap.

``The bill before us is based on faulty and questionable guesses, not estimates,''...

... Asbestos Fund Effort Survives in Senate - Los Angeles Times National News HOME | HELP •MEMBER SERVICES •SIGN UP Join now!

NEWS ENTERTAINMENT OTHER SECTIONS CLASSIFIEDS JOBS CARS HOMES RENTALS SHOPPING Site Web February 8, 2006 latimes.com : National News Print E-mail story Most e-mailed Change text size Asbestos Fund Effort Survives in Senate Lawmakers hope to end years of lawsuits by creating a $140-billion compensation plan for victims of the cancer-causing material.

By Jonathan Peterson, Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON — A painstaking effort to end years of litigation over cancer-causing asbestos survived a procedural hurdle on Tuesday in the Senate, paving the way for a floor debate over a $140-billion plan to compensate victims outside the courtroom.

By a vote of 98 to 1, lawmakers agreed to move forward with the plan to create the compensation fund, designed to stem a tide of litigation that dates back to the 1970s and continues to rise.

ADVERTISEMENT "It's not been easy to get to the point where we are," said Sen.

Patrick J.

Leahy (D-Vt.), urging colleagues to vote to keep the beleaguered plan alive.

"It's taken years and years of work." Throughout the day, the asbestos bill appeared in danger.

But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ultimately chose not to challenge the Republicans who wanted to bring it up.

Asbestos has been used in insulation, brake linings, cement pipes and many other products.

Its negative health effects range fr...

... Greeley Tribune - News CLOUDY 30° THE TRIBUNE News Sports Opinion Business Features Entertainment Obituaries Viewfinder Special Sections In-Depth Reports National News Photo Reprints Tribune Awards Subscribe SPOTLIGHT INTERACTIVE Greality Blogs Greality Boards Editor's Blog Photo Galleries Events Calendar eNewsletter News Tip Write the Editor Announcement Forms RSS Feeds MARKETPLACE Real Estate Classifieds Today's Ads Coupon Book Top Jobs Dining Guide Your Neighborhood SERVICES Archives Weather & Alerts Subscriber Services Public Notices Movie Listings TV Listings NEWSPAPERS Windsor Tribune Search: Classifieds | Place an Ad February 8, 2006 Asbestos bill would pull claims from court '); //-> Staff Reports February 8, 2006 Print Email BY LEAH MCBRIDE l-mcbride@northwestern.edu WASHINGTON - Three years ago this week, Carolyn Benton of Greeley watched helplessly as her husband died of mesothelioma, a form of cancer often associated with asbestos exposure.

"It was devastating," Benton said.

Her husband, then 55, died 11 months after being diagnosed, leaving Benton to wonder if things might have turned out differently had simple precautions been taken to protect her husband from the asbestos he had worked with on a ship in the Navy while serving in Vietnam and as a pipe fitter in New York shipyards.

Now, she is doing everything she can to stop the Senate from passing the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act, a bill she and other oppon...