Melvin Watt: “Mr. Chairman, let me just advise my colleagues that these bankruptcy mills that the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran)…”

“Mr. Chairman, let me just advise my colleagues that these bankruptcy mills that the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) is talking about are attorneys who provide bankruptcy services, consumer credit counseling services, many of whom are sanctioned by local governments because they provide a very valuable service in local communities. I have one in my own community of Charlotte. I was on the board of directors of this nonprofit agency which receives substantial government funds and provides a major service when people get into debt. We can characterize every single one of these people as bankruptcy mills if we want, but they are not. To try to inflame the opinions of the colleagues in this body by referring to every lawyer who practices bankruptcy law or every consumer credit counselor as a bankruptcy mill is just inaccurate and unfair and it should not be done. There are some bad apples in the barrel. For those we need to understand, Mr. Chairman, that there is a specific provision which remains in this bill, this section 526, which says that a debt relief agency shall not do a whole list of things that are listed in this bill.”