Jun 18 2003
The Senate Judiciary Committee working on asbestos legislation in the US is due to meet and hand down its decision on the bill that will create a $108 billion fund for the benefit of those who have suffered asbestos related problems.
Senator Hatch who proposed the bill admitted that voting need not be completed by Thursday, but that they should be aiming to. He proposed the bill last month after the number of claims related to asbestos fibre exposure increased dramatically, sending, or threatening to send many companies out of business.
There has been some opposition to the handing down of the decision on Thursday, as talks have been progressing well between business, labour and Senate representatives, and whether they will be completed before Thursday or not is questionable. These talks are rumoured to provide greater support compared to the bill proposed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Further opposition to the handing down of bill on Thursday reside with the fact that there has been little support for Senator Hatch’s bill, while both parties have been working on the alternative bill. They are seeking a postponement of a week, within which they believe that can complete their bill.
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