mr speaker , i rise today in opposition to this bill .  this bill will weaken homestead protections currently in place under state laws , hurting my constituents , the citizens of texas , and the citizens of any other states that have laws protecting individuals ' homes valued over $ 125 , 000 , which is the limit this bill sets .  texas , which has the longest and oldest history of homestead protection laws in our country , has no cap on homestead protection , along with kansas , iowa , florida , and south dakota .  minnesota , rhode island , and nevada 's laws protect home equity of $ 200 , 000 .  property values across the nation vary widely .  the median resale price of a home in california is $ 215 , 000 .  in nebraska it 's $ 70 , 200 .  while i understand there must be a sensible cap on exemptible home equity to ensure the law is not protecting million dollar mansions , $ 125 , 000 is unreasonable given the skyrocketing price of real estate in texas and many other parts of the country .  this bill will make bankruptcy even more expensive and burdensome than it already is , on hardworking americans who have fallen on hard times and seniors on fixed incomes , while doing nothing to address the out of control lending practices by credit card companies .  mr. speaker , i can not support a bill that will hurt hard-working texans , and i oppose this bill .  