Tell Congress to Safeguard Bankruptcy Protections for Families Produced in partnership with Demos   The House of Representatives will soon vote on the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (S. 256/H.R. 685).  This bill is a misguided attempt to "reform" the rules governing bankruptcy in America that would make it harder for families suffering from job loss, divorce or medical catastrophes to start over, save for retirement and meet future emergencies.   This bill will force more debtors into inflexible five-year repayment plans. The bill also changes the formula for means-testing, so that instead of a household's actual income and expenses, the court will use the IRS' area standards.  Strapped families will be required to spend hundreds more in legal fees to justify their costs - an expense few will be able to afford.   Contact your representative today and tell him/her to turn attention to the causes of economic insecurity—unemployment, stagnant wages, health care costs—not the unfortunate fallout.   >>Learn More Learn More: Debt & Bankruptcy page, Demos Rising Personal Bankruptcies: A Sign of Economic Strains on America?s Middle Class (PDF), Center for American Progress

September 02, 2010 Subject: I urge you to oppose the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (S. 256/H.R. 685) because it will hurt families, especially the elderly. The bankruptcy bill will force more debtors into inflexible five-year repayment plans. Since most people turn to bankruptcy as a last resort, they have already paid thousands in interest and fees on top of the repaid principal. Five years is a long time to put debt payments in competition with households' other obligations, which for seniors are likely to include critical medical and end-of-life costs. The bill also changes the formula for means-testing, so that instead of a household's actual income and expenses, the court will use the IRS' area standards. Strapped families will be required to spend hundreds more in legal fees to justify their costs - an expense few will be able to afford. If this bill becomes law, it will make many other technical changes to the bankruptcy code that would make it harder for families suffering from job loss, divorce or medical catastrophes to start over, save for retirement and meet future emergencies. I urge you to turn your attention to the causes of economic insecurity—unemployment, stagnant wages, health care costs—not the unfortunate fallout. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, We will add your signature from the information you provide.		First Name* Last Name* Email* Street* Street 2 City* State/Province* Select a state Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces (the) Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other Zip/Postal Code*