Sen. Byrd's Death Could Delay Fin. Svcs. Reform Bill

NU Online News Service, June 28, 4:00 p.m. EDT

The death of Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., early Monday has raised the possibility that Democrats might have difficulty in getting the financial services reform legislation through the Senate before the Independence Day recess.

A key concern is the potential loss of Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., a moderate who supported the bill when it passed the Senate in late May but appeared to be backing off after Democrats added a small tax to be levied against large financial services firms to pay for the bill.