[Page: H2641]
---

   (Mr. DOOLEY of California asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

   Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, today we are going to be considering bankruptcy reform legislation, and I rise in strong support of it. In 1998 we had studies that showed that at least $3 billion was written off in bankruptcy by wealthy debtors who could have afforded to pay it back.

   More and more wealthy Americans are using the bankruptcy system to buy a throwaway lifestyle that they cannot afford, then expecting hard-working Americans who pay their bills each month to pick up the tab. That is not right, and Congress needs to do something about it.

[Page: H2642]

   I also want to address some information that I think is not true by some of the opponents of this legislation, dealing with child support payments. Under the current system, child support and alimony payments rank seventh on the list of priority payments in a bankruptcy proceeding, behind such things as attorney fees; seventh.

   This legislation moves those critical family obligations up to the top of the list. Women and children come first under H.R. 833, the bankruptcy protection reform bill that we are going to be considering today. It is time to require personal responsibility. Support H.R. 833.

END