ABI PRESS BRIEFING ON CHILD SUPPORT CLAIMS UNDER THE PROPOSED BANKRUPTCY REFORM ACT

The American Bankruptcy Institute held a press briefing on child support claims under the proposed bankruptcy reform act on Friday, March 28, 2003, the third in a series of press educational teleseminars, featuring experts addressing timely issues in consumer and corporate bankruptcies. The treatment of child support claims in bankruptcy continues to be one of the most controversial aspects of the bankruptcy reform bill. A balanced panel of experts, including Philip Strauss, National Child Support Enforcement Association, Karen Cordry, National Association of Attorneys General, Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center and Linda Lea Viken, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, discussed the merits.

• Philip Strauss, National Child Support Enforcement Association

• Karen Cordry, National Association of Attorneys General

• Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center

• Linda Lea Viken, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

1 Introduction of panelists and issues   2 Problems in child support enforcement during bankruptcy under current law; proposed amendments   3 Impact of the bankruptcy bill on women and children owed child support in chaps. 7 and 13   4 Issues and problems in collecting child support debts and inconsistencies in the treatment of domestic support obligations under the Bankruptcy Code as currently drafted   5 Discussion of provisions deemed beneficial and harmful to women and children in H.R. 975   6 Do payments to the government affect what can be collected? Is there competition with credit card companies after bankruptcy? Who has priority over the collection of debt? Would women and children get more or less through a chap. 13 plan? 7 Is it true that under the proposed bill, instead of all child support being paid 100 percent, all unsecured creditors would have a pro rata share of the payments that come in during the plan? 8 Child support debts as opposed to governmental claims, credit card debts; the issue of priority in payments; 9 Enforcing child support after bankruptcy   10 Concluding remarks

For more info please contact Rali Mileva: rmileva@abiworld.org