mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman from florida for yielding me this time . 
i rise in opposition to this rule . 
we have before us a misguided attempt to reform our bankruptcy system . 
we have heard cries that this system is being abused and is corrupted ; and while there is need for reform , the proposal before us today contains a number of unintended consequences , consequences that would deprive consumers of the protection they deserve , hurt children , hurt families and neglect our veterans . 
during the committee on the judiciary markup , numerous amendments were offered to correct these provisions , yet amendment after amendment was voted down , not on the merits of the amendments but because there was a backroom deal to move this legislation through the house without any changes . 
the committee held a sham markup . 
again , in the committee on rules , a number of amendments were offered to allow a debate on these issues , but not a single one was made in order today . 
in certain cases , my republican colleagues acknowledged the merits of the amendments , but maintained it was simply not the time to address the issue . 
i have to disagree . 
i am particularly disappointed that the very reasonable amendment offered by the gentleman from california ( mr. schiff ) xz4003610 was not made in order . 
the amendment is narrowly tailored to exempt from the means test consumers with 51 percent of their debt caused by someone who stole their identity . 
this amendment makes sense . 
i am sure that most everyone at some time in their life has experienced the frustration of losing their wallet . 
first , you have to call all the credit card companies to cancel service . 
then you may have to close and later reopen your checking account . 
then you may have to take a trip down to dmv to get a new driver 's license . 
it is an ordeal . 
but these days , losing your wallet can even lead to greater problems . 
to then realize someone racked up thousands of dollars of debt after stealing your identity is just awful . 
no one should ever have to pay for a crime someone else committed . 
those on the other side of the aisle say they sympathize with the issue and would like to address this matter at some point in the future ; but i ask , why do we not do this now ? 
what are we waiting for ? 
what better place to talk about the rights of bankrupted identity theft victims than in the bankruptcy reform bill ? 
just yesterday , an article ran in the new york times about another security breach potentially leaking social security numbers , driver 's licenses , and addresses of over 300 , 000 people . 
we all see the headlines . 
identity theft poses an enormous financial risk to the average american . 
no one deserves a bill for someone else 's crime , but the republican majority seems to think so . 
their legislation would punish the victims of identity theft , and the refusal to adopt this very simple fix raises real questions about who they are fighting for . 
i believe this amendment is very timely and appreciate the attention the gentleman from california ( mr. schiff ) xz4003610 has brought to this issue . 
i know this legislation has been around since 1998 , but that does not excuse us from being unresponsive to real issues affecting americans today . 
