Patrick Leahy: “Mr. President, our amendment protects the identity of minor children in bankruptcy court records. It permits a debtor to…”

“Mr. President, our amendment protects the identity of minor children in bankruptcy court records. It permits a debtor to withhold the name of a minor child in the public record, especially as these records go on the Internet where anybody who wants the names and addresses of children can find them. To prevent fraud, it permits the judge, or trustee, or an auditor to review a child's name in a nonpublic record. The amendment is modest, but it is a first step in protecting personal privacy and protecting criminal activity through the unnecessary disclosure of personal information. We know, unfortunately, that there are people who prey on children who are out there. What my friend from Utah and I are trying to do is to prevent their access to these names.”