mr. speaker , bankruptcy reform is overdue for passage . 
despite its critics , s. 256 , the bankruptcy abuse prevention and consumer protection act of 2005 , does not exclude anyone from filing for bankruptcy . 
instead , it implements a simple means test to shield debtors who make below their state 's median income and to determine if a higher income debtor has the ability to partially pay back his or her creditors . 
to phrase it simply , bankruptcy reform is financial accountability . 
it protects our system against fraud and abuse . 
and it asks those who have the means to repay as much of their debts as they can . 
for at least four previous congresses , members have been trying to reform our `` when in doubt , bail out society '' in favor of personal responsibility . 
bankruptcy should not be a financial planning tool , and it should be available for legitimate emergency situations only . 
our bankruptcy system should fit the needs of the individual , no more , no less . 
with this rule , and passage of the underlying legislation , s. 256 we will finally see some movement in the right direction . 
bankruptcy reform is important to help speed up court hearings , because it only takes a few fraudulent or misdirected cases to stall a court for hundreds of other legitimate bankruptcy filings . 
federal bankruptcy filings per judgeship have increased by 71 percent from 2 , 998 in 1992 to 5 , 130 in 2003 ; and it represents the largest case load in our federal court system . 
this creates a backlog that slows down the process for those really in need of bankruptcy protection . 
bankruptcy reform provisions found in s. 256 include , but are not limited to : abuse prevention so debtors who have committed crimes of violence or engaged in drug trafficking are no longer able to use bankruptcy to hide their finances ; needs-based credentials , where if a debtor has the ability to partially repay debts , he or she must either be channeled into a form of bankruptcy relief that requires repayment or risk having the bankruptcy case dismissed as an abusive filing ; spousal and child support protections to help single parents and their children by closing a loophole used by some spouses currently avoiding their child support responsibilities . 
this would put child support and alimony payments as a first priority , ahead of credit card debt and attorney 's fees . 
child support and alimony payments are currently seventh in the priority list of payments ; closing the mansion loophole require a debtor to live in a state for at least 2 years before he or she can claim that state 's homestead exemption . 
the current requirement is 91 days , allowing some debtors to shield themselves from creditors by putting all of their equity into their homes ; debtor protections requiring potential debtors to receive credit counseling before they can be eligible for bankruptcy relief , allowing them to make an informed choice about bankruptcy considering all alternatives and consequences ; further , small business protections to defend against needless bankruptcy lawsuits . 
under current law , a business can be sued by a bankruptcy trustee and forced to pay back monies previously paid by a firm that later files for bankruptcy protection ; additionally , family farm relief by doubling debt eligibility for chapter 12 filing , allowing periodic inflation adjustment of this debt , and lowering the required percentage of a farmer 's income that must be derived from farming operations . 
there are business privacy protections to prohibit the disclosure of names of a debtor 's minor children with privileged information kept in a nonpublic record . 
current law allows nearly every item of information supplied by a debtor in connection with his or her bankruptcy case to be made available to the public . 
s. 256 passed the senate with a clear 74 to 25 majority . 
the house judiciary markup on march 16 included rollcall votes on 11 amendments . 
the reforms included in this legislation will be very beneficial to our society without ignoring the need of those suffering financial uncertainty . 
this legislation deserves a clean up-or-down vote . 
mr. speaker , i ask my colleagues to support this rule and pass s. 256 bankruptcy reform . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
