Washington Observer.

This article focuses on a trust which is to fund to compensate workers with asbestos-related illness. Just days into the 109th Congress, new Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter unveiled a draft bill on Jan. 11 that would set up a trust fund to compensate workers with asbestos-related illness. Lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully for years to create such a fund, seeking to end thousands of lawsuits that have left hundreds of firms bankrupt. But debate over the size of that trust fund, and other contentious issues, continues. During negotiations last year, key senators agreed on $140 billion. Labor unions want more. Specter's draft does not specify an amount for the fund.