mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to s. 256 . 
this bill helps big credit card companies at the expense of working families in crisis . 
a harvard university study reports that more than forty-five percent of all bankruptcies are filed because of a health emergency . 
approximately ninety percent of all bankruptcies are due to a health care debt , job loss , or a divorce . 
when this personal crisis happens , families are driven into crushing credit card debt that they ultimately can not manage . 
working families are being squeezed by skyrocketing health care costs , gas prices , and housing costs . 
at the same time , this republican congress is reducing the social safety net for working families : medicaid , social security , and now , bankruptcy protections . 
mr. speaker , i know there are people abusing the bankruptcy code . 
but there are also companies marketing loans to people who can not afford them . 
credit unions and community banks make responsible loans and do responsible underwriting . 
but this bill does nothing to make big credit card companies curb their abusive marketing strategies or practice responsible underwriting . 
vote `` no '' on s. 256 . 
