The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 was signed into law by President George W. Bush on April 20, 2005, and went into effect on October 17, 2005. The bill amends Title 11 of the U.S. Code and provides for stricter bankruptcy filing requirements. Under the new law, those who have the ability to do so may be required to pay back part of their debt rather than having the debt expunged. The law also makes it more difficult for "serial filers" to abuse bankruptcy protection and requires more disclosure to customers by credit card companies.

Parts of the new law will be enforced by the Department of Justice's United States Trustee Program. For more information on their responsibilities with regard to the law, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/.

If you have questions about filing for bankruptcy, please consult with an attorney who specializes in bankruptcy law. While there is no Federal agency that provides private legal assistance, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) does fund locally-based legal aid services to people in financial need. To find the nearest LSC program, please choose your state and county information at:

http://www.rin.lsc.gov/scripts/LSC/PD/PDList7.asp

Should you need to contact the LSC headquarters directly, you may do so at:

Legal Services Corporation
3333 K St. NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20007
Telephone: 202-295-1500
Fax: 202-337-6797
E-mail: info@lsc.gov
Webform: http://www.lsc.gov/contact.asp

If you are not eligible for legal assistance through the LSC, you may obtain a lawyer referral from the Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) program provided by your local State Bar Association office. The LRS will match you with a lawyer based upon your specific legal need. To access a directory of LRS programs by state, please visit:

http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/lris/directory.html

For additional information please see Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005