mr. speaker , i rise today in strong support of s. 256 , the bankruptcy abuse and consumer prevention act .  mr. speaker , we have seen a sharp increase in bankruptcies in the past 25 years .  in 2003 , consumer filings peaked at over 1.6 million filings , a 465 percent increase from 1980 .  those who believe credit card companies , mortgage lenders and other financial institutions are bearing the cost of consumers filing for bankruptcy do not understand how business works .  these costs will be shifted to american families who are paying the price for this debt , some studies reflect $ 400 per year in every household , by higher interest rates on their credit cards , auto loans , school loans and mortgages .  when the legislation passes today it will be the american families who are the real winners .  this legislation balances the consumer 's challenge of debt repayment with the needs of businesses that collect money rightfully owed to them .  in an effort to better educate consumers and improve financial literacy , the legislation requires many filers of bankruptcy to attend financial counseling .  this change coupled with congressional encouragement for schools to incorporate personal finance curricula in elementary and secondary education programs are both useful methods of curbing future debt .  as chairman of the subcommittee on education reform , which has jurisdiction over k through 12 , i feel strongly that educating future spenders can prevent debts incurred as adults .  again , mr. speaker , i want to thank chairman sensenbrenner for his years of strong and tenacious support for this legislation and thank him for not giving up on these important , common-sense changes to our bankruptcy system .  i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation .  