mr. speaker , bankruptcy filings are at an all-time high .  when bankruptcy filings increase , every american must pay more for credit , goods , and services through higher rates and charges .  it is time that we relieve consumers from the burden of paying for the debts of others .  since the 105th congress , the house has passed bankruptcy reform legislation eighty times .  s. 256 , the bankruptcy abuse prevention and consumer protection act , is the culmination of years of work and bicameral as well as bipartisan negotiations .  a key aspect of s. 256 is retention of the income-based means test .  the means test applies clear and well-defined standards to determine whether a debtor has the financial capability to pay his or her debts .  the application of such objective standards will help ensure that the fresh start provisions of chapter vii will be granted to those who need them , while debtors that can afford to repay some of their debts are steered toward filing chapter 13 bankruptcies .  s. 256 is good for america 's family farmers .  as chairman of the house committee on agriculture , i am pleased that we are finally making the chapter 12 provisions of the bankruptcy code permanent .  bankruptcy relief for family farmers will be made easier for those to obtain a discharge of their indebtedness .  in addition , the bill allows more family farmers to qualify for chapter 12 relief by doubling the debt limit and lowering the percentage of income that must be derived from farming operations .  in addition , s. 256 prevents fraud .  under the current system , irresponsible people filing for bankruptcy could run up their credit card debt immediately prior to filing knowing that their debts will soon be wind away .  what these people may not realize or care about is that these debts do not just disappear .  they are passed along in higher charges and rates to hard working people .  mr. speaker , i rise in strong support of the `` bankruptcy abuse prevention and consumer protection act of 2005. '' bankruptcy filings are at an all time high .  when bankruptcy filings increase every american must pay more for credit , goods , and services through higher rates and charges .  it is time that we relieve consumers from the burden of paying for the debts of others .  since the 105th congress , the house has passed bankruptcy reform legislation eight times .  s. 256 , the `` bankruptcy abuse prevention and consumer protection act of 2005 '' is the culmination of years of work and bi-camerla , as well as bi-partisan negotiations .  a key aspect of s. 256 is the retention of the income-based means test .  the means test applies clear and well-defined standards to determine whether a debtor has the financial capability to pay his or her debts .  the application of such objective standards will help ensure that the fresh start provisions of chapter 7 will be granted to those who need them , while debtors that can afford to repay some of their debts are steered toward filing chapter 13 bankruptcies .  s. 256 is good for america 's family farmers , who are the backbone of our agriculture industry .  the bill permanently extends chapter 12 bankruptcy relief for family farmers and makes it easier for family farmers to obtain discharges of their indebtedness .  in addition , the bill allows more family farmers to qualify for chapter 12 relief by doubling the debt limit and lowering the percentage of income that must be derived from farming operations .  in addition , s. 256 prevents fraud .  under the current system , irresponsible people filing for bankruptcy could run up their credit card debt immediately prior to filing , knowing that their debts will soon be wiped away .  what these people may not realize or care about is that these debts do not just disappear -- they are passed along in higher chargers and rates to hard-working folks who pay their bills on time .  s. 256 ends this fraudulent practice by requiring bankruptcy filers to pay back nondischargable debts made in the period immediately preceding their filing .  s. 256 also helps consumers .  for example , this legislation helps children by strengthening the protections in the law that prioritize child support and alimony payments .  in addition , it protects consumers from `` bankruptcy mills '' that encourage people to file for bankruptcy without fully informing them of their rights and the potential harms that bankruptcy can cause .  s. 256 also ensures the fair treatment of those that administer our bankruptcy laws .  specifically , this legislation restores fairness and equity to the relationship between the u.s. trustee and private standing bankruptcy trustees by providing that in certain circumstances , after an administrative hearing on the record , private trustees may seek judicial review of u.s. trustee actions related to trustee removal .  this compromise , worked out between the u.s. trustee 's office and representatives of the private bankruptcy trustees , will ensure fairness for those who dedicate themselves to their duties as private trustees while ensuring that the u.s. trustee is subject to the same checks and balances as other government agencies .  bankruptcy should remain available to people who truly need it , but those who can afford to repay their debts should repay their debts .  s. 256 provides bankruptcy relief for those who truly can not pay their debts , but also clearly demonstrates to those who would abuse our system that the free ride is over .  i believe that s. 256 strikes the appropriate balance between these two important goals .  i want to commend chairmen sensenbrenner and cannon for their tremendous work on this legislation , and i urge each of my colleagues to support this fair and reasonable overhaul of the u.s. bankruptcy system .  