WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? A bill to create a $140 billion asbestos compensation fund is not expected to come up on the Senate floor before the August recess, the legislation?s co-author, Sen. Arlen Specter, said yesterday.

?It does not look at this point as if the majority leader is going to find time for it,? Specter said, referring to Sen. Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican. Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke at a news conference that was called to discuss President Bush?s nomination to the Supreme Court, Judge John Roberts.

Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said he was ready for the asbestos bill to come up any time, but the Senate leadership was not. ?It has been postponed, but not by me.?

He suggested it was a matter of scheduling, and made no reference to criticisms of the bill that have been raised by both parties. Frist would bring up the measure sometime after August, Specter said. ?He?s definitely going to find time for it.?

The Senate begins its month-long August recess at the end of next week.

Asbestos was widely used for fireproofing and insulation until the 1970s.