{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-initiative-seeks-to-restore-fairness-to-bankruptcy-code", "Reed Initiative Seeks to Restore Fairness to Bankruptcy Code", "2016-12-06", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12/06/2016\u00a0\u2014\u00a0WASHINGTON, DC -- With Congress poised to consider changing U.S. bankruptcy laws in a way that would put the rights of financial firms with large risky bets ahead of the claims of average Americans, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today introduced the Bankruptcy Fairness Act.\u00a0 This legislation would help bolster financial stability on Main Street and Wall Street by requiring experts and regulators to conduct the research necessary to ensure the safety of the financial system before making changes to the Bankruptcy Code.\u00a0\r\n\u201cOne of the many lessons we learned from the financial crisis is that reckless Wall Street behavior can have devastating consequences for middle-class families.\u00a0 But instead of fixing broken bankruptcy laws to protect taxpayers and working families, some Congressional Republicans want to change the Bankruptcy Code in favor of big financial institutions.\u00a0 We must stop this before middle-class Americans are asked, yet again, to bail out the rich,\u201d said Reed.\u00a0 \u201cThis bill aims to put an end to the policy of \u2018pay the big banks first and the little guy later\u2019 and ensure a more level playing field for all.\u201d\r\nSenator Reed\u2019s bill directs federal financial stability agencies to study the economic impact of special Wall Street privileges known as \u201csafe harbors;\u201d which allow derivatives contracts to be paid ahead of other creditors, such as small businesses and employees.\u00a0 It also asks the agencies to study the availability of private financing for a big bank that needs to resolve itself in bankruptcy without a taxpayer bailout, and whether the big firms are still so top-heavy with large risky Wall Street bets that there is no safe place to offload these contracts if they fail.\u00a0 In addition, the bill asks the federal agencies to address many unanswered questions about the Republican-sponsored financial institution bankruptcy legislation, including how a mega-bank can guaranty that it will go from a state of failure to a complete recovery in 48 hours, without making changes to its structure or operations.\r\nIn addition, Reed\u2019s bill would ensure that the judges who preside over bankruptcy cases involving multibillion dollar financial institutions continue to possess the financial expertise needed to oversee the orderly resolution of a failed mega bank, so that the failure of another jumbo bank is less likely to affect other parts of our economy.\u00a0\r\nThe bill also permits the federal agencies that supervise large complex financial institutions to offer their advice and expertise to the bankruptcy court whenever a mega bank files for bankruptcy.\u00a0 This is important because these federal agencies can assist the court in deciphering complex financial products while also providing the court with an independent assessment of how the court\u2019s decisions could affect financial stability in the United States. \u00a0 \u00a0\r\n\u201cCongress should do its homework before changing the Bankruptcy Code in a way that could further tilt the system to benefit Wall Street at the expense of taxpayers.\u00a0\u00a0 There are currently legislative proposals that would let Wall Street banks cut to the front of the bankruptcy line and take more than their fair share, while ordinary creditors, such as employees and customers, have to wait in the back.\u00a0 When a jumbo bank gets in trouble, why should those customers who place the riskiest bets, such as large Wall Street hedge funds, get paid back in full while ordinary customers may not get paid back at all?\u00a0 Should shareholders be prevented from holding the mega bank\u2019s board of directors accountable for most actions, when a mega bank files for bankruptcy?\u00a0 Is it really possible for a trillion-dollar mega bank to be processed through bankruptcy safely in just 48 hours without hurting our economy?\u00a0 Is it fair that ordinary creditors, such as small businesses, who are owed their hard earned dollars, would be given virtually no notice of a mega bank\u2019s bankruptcy, making it nearly impossible for them to fight for their rights?\u201d asked Reed.\u00a0 \u201cThese are important, incredibly complex, questions that need thorough answers.\u00a0 My bill would help ensure Congress has these answers and restore fairness and balance to the Bankruptcy Code for hardworking Americans.\u201d\u00a0\r\nThe Bankruptcy Fairness Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH); Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). \u00a0\u00a0\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-initiative-seeks-to-restore-fairness-to-bankruptcy-code"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.56389389000833, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}