Political Quotes

“I would like to address some strong problems and concerns I have with the proposed legislation. As a whole, the general consensus has been that we need to overhaul the Bankruptcy Code. However, H.R. 333 does so at the expense of consumers and small businesses. It is overly harsh on the honest but unfortunate debtor. I tried to introduce an amendment which would prevent landlords from being able to evict domestic violence victims, elderly persons on limited income, and single parents with minor children on limited income without going through the bankruptcy court. That protection already exists under current law, but is absolutely removed by H.R. 333. I was not successful with that amendment. Mr. Chairman, the Democratic substitute amendment which seeks to correct the most glaring problems with H.R. 333 deserves support, and I am here today to try to make a bad bill just a little bit better. The fifth provision of the Democratic substitute, for example, would allow debtors to exclude up to $1,500 for expenses for a child's schooling, whether those expenses are for a public or private school. The proposed legislation only allows for expenses from private schools. This discriminates against low-income debtors and has no logical rationale.”