Majority Leader William Frist, R-Tenn., said last week he is not sure the U.S. Senate will be able to take up the asbestos litigation reform bill before its July 4 break.
Sen. Frist joked about a comment made by Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on June 6 in which the Democratic leader compared wanting the asbestos bill on the Senate floor to wanting a heart attack. Sen. Frist, a cardiac surgeon, joked that he would make sure Sen. Reid was resuscitated.
In a more serious tone, however, Sen. Frist said the asbestos issue “calls out” for reform and that it was something he cares “passionately” about. The Senate Judiciary Committee gave its approval to the asbestos litigation reform bill, S. 852, shortly before Congress adjourned for Memorial Day.
The bill would establish a trust fund for victims of asbestos exposure and remove cases from the court system. Business and insurers have expressed concerns over “leakage,” in which cases could be brought to court despite the trust fund, which would be funded by insurers, defendant companies and existing asbestos trusts.
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