mr. speaker , i rise in strong opposition to the so-called bankruptcy abuse prevention and consumer protection act of 2005 . 
contrary to its name , this bill does not protect consumers and it certainly does not help honest , hard-working families with financial problems . 
the only thing that this bill does is distort our bankruptcy laws so that working families are treated more like criminals than people in need of relief . 
our bankruptcy laws must strike a fair and practical balance between debtors and creditors . 
this means that honest people with financial troubles can make a fresh start by getting creditors off their backs . 
but this bill does the exact opposite of that . 
instead of helping struggling families in debt , this bill erects harsh legal and monetary roadblocks for people who are trying to file bankruptcy . 
the vast majority of people who file for bankruptcy , 9 out of 10 , do so because they have either lost their job , suffered a medical emergency , or there has been a divorce or separation in their family . 
these are not people who are abusing the bankruptcy system . 
we are talking about recently divorced , single working mothers trying to support their children who may not be getting their child support . 
we are talking about young men and women in our armed forces returning home after serving their country in iraq . 
we are talking about some of the 1.6 million families who have lost their private-sector jobs since 2001 when a republican administration took over the white house . 
these are honest , hard-working families who have resorted to bankruptcy to find some relief for their debts and a chance to start their lives anew . 
this is a terrible bill . 
it is harmful to struggling families and goes against the basic policy of our bankruptcy laws , helping families in financial trouble get a fresh start . 
i urge every member of the house to stand by america 's working families by voting no for passage of s. 256 . 
