Asbestos Bill Hits Further Snags, Lawmakers Say

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate plan to create a $140 billion asbestos compensation fund has hit further snags over ways to stop victims being paid twice and sagging support among members of the Republican majority, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist told reporters the measure would come for a vote "at some point" but other bills would advance while work continued on the plan to take asbestos compensation out of the court system.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said the asbestos proposal, as it now stood, had so little Republican support that it might not get out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"I think we have gotten a little bit off track and we need a reality check," Cornyn told reporters.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=7572095&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

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