House Won't Tinker With BankruptcyBill

WASHINGTON - (03/14/05) -- The House will take up thebankruptcy reform bill this week, just days after it was passed bythe Senate. House leaders will aim to keep the bill as close to theone passed by the Senate last Thursday in order to avoid aSenate-House conference where the bill got caught up each of thelast two congresses when leaders tried to reconcile separateversions of the measure. "At this point, I don't think there'sanything in there that the House can't accept," said JohnMcKechnie, chief lobbyist for CUNA. A representative of the HouseJudiciary Committee told The Credit Union Journal Friday the panelwill hold a mark-up, or drafting session, on the bill, probablyWednesday, before they vote to send it to the full House for avote. Congressional leaders hope to vote final passage in earlyApril, after which it would be sent to to President Bush, who hasvowed to sign it into law.