LEGISLATIVE REPORT
Student Loans
The issue of student loans continues
to dominate interest in Congress and
members continue to introduce bills
designed to alleviate the crushing
student loan debt facing Americans of all
ages. By my count, there are no fewer
than 28 bills that have been introduced
in the House of Representatives and
Senate that address student loan debt
in one way or another. Eleven of those
bills deal with issues in and around the
bankruptcy discharge for student loans.
While most of these bills have support
primarily from Democrats, there is
interest from Republican lawmakers as
well.
What is interesting about these bills
and others is that legislation where
bankruptcy is part of the solution
is being introduced by not just
the “usual suspects,” but also by
moderate Democrats and even some
Republicans. Certainly, we shouldn’t
read too much into this but we should
use this opportunity to continue to chip
away at ill-informed perceptions of
bankruptcy. As you know, over the last
several years, a primary objective of
NACBA’s advocacy program has been
to dispel the lingering misperceptions
about
bankruptcy,
bankruptcy
attorneys, and debtors that the credit
industry painted during the years
fighting over BAPCPA.
Hill Day at Home 2016
The economic downturn and stubbornly
slow recovery has given us a climate
in which to explain bankruptcy in
the context of high unemployment,
underemployment, home foreclosures,
student loans, and so on. Of course,
changing the perception of bankruptcy
is a slow process but we try to take
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
Spring 2016
advantage of all opportunities –
whether in Congress, the news media,
or with current and new allies. This
time of relatively little congressional
action is perfect for us to continue to
make the case for a strong and effective
bankruptcy system to elected officials,
the news media and allies.
During the first week of May, NACBA
once again will sponsor a “Hill Day
at Home.”
You soon will receive
notification of the 2016 Hill Day at
Home, which will take place during
the first week in May. We hope many
NACBA members will participate in this
annual and important NACBA event!
Look for registration information to hit
your email box in the next week or so.
CONSUMER BANKRUPTCY JOURNAL
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