mr. speaker , for years , honest but unfortunate consumers have had the ability to plead their case to come under bankruptcy protection and have their reasonable and valid debts discharged .  the way the system is supposed to work , the bankruptcy court evaluates various factors including income , assets and debt to determine what debts can be paid and how consumers can get back on their feet .  the bill before us preserves that right for those individuals who simply get in over their heads and have no other way out unfortunately , some dishonest individuals have taken advantage of our bankruptcy laws by hiding assets , racking up debt in anticipation of filing for bankruptcy , using bankruptcy as a financial planning tool , and walking away from that which they owe .  this hurts our economy because it forces retailers and businesses to simply raise the prices of goods and services for honest americans .  all americans end up paying the costs for those who have gamed the bankruptcy laws .  i support s. 256 , the bankruptcy abuse prevention and consumer protection act of 2005 .  i am a cosponsor of the house version of this bill .  this common sense legislation preserves the right to file bankruptcy for those who truly can not repay their debts while ensuring that those who do have the ability to repay a portion of their debts do so .  s. 256 provides the same kinds of bankruptcy reforms the house has approved twice before .  it restores the principles of fairness and personal responsibility to our bankruptcy system and protects the rights of consumers .  s. 256 also requires creditors to help prevent credit card abuse through new disclosures and educational provisions .  this is a good bill for average american consumers , for american businesses , and our economy as a whole .  