Asbestos Bill Survives Procedural Challenges; Senate Passage Looms
Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 Legislation & Regulation LiabilityControversial legislation that would create a $140 billion trust fund to resolve asbestos-related claims out of court survived two procedural challenges last week and may be headed for Senate passage despite strong opposition from many different quarters. The first procedural issue occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 7, when the Senate considered a cloture motion to cut off any possible filibuster. Prior to the vote, there were questions about whether the supporters of S. 852 could get the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture. The next procedural maneuver occurred two days later on Feb. 9, when Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) sponsored an amendment in the nature of a substitute that would eliminate the trust fund approach, keep asbestos claims in the tort system but require claimants to meet strict medical criteria.
