The Asbestos Fund is intended to be a privately funded compensation fund for victims of asbestos exposure. The idea for the fund has been around several years but has hit some road blocks along the way. The bill would establish a $140 billion trust fund to compensate asbestos victims, paid for by companies that exposed employees to the carcinogenic substance. There are parts of the bill that have bipartisan approval but there are also parts that have both parties saying nay. The fund is actually the brain child of major corporations, many of whom are going bankrupt due to lawsuits filed against them. More than 80 companies have already gone bankrupt over asbestos issues. One of the problems lawmakers see with the fund is that it amounts to a bailout for the companies that are most at risk for lawsuits. It also leaves taxpayers footing part of the bill. Yet others argue that killing the bill will leave many who are suffering from asbestos exposure without benefits at all. The truth of the matter is somewhere lost in the rhetoric of the politicians. The overall cost of the bill would be 80 Billion dollars over a 10 year period. The bill is currently undergoing revisions and amendments with each party adding their own slant to the bill.