MR. WELLSTONE: MR. PRESIDENT?
           
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA.
           

           MR. WELLSTONE: I'D ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT THE QUORUM CALL
           BE DISPENSED WITH.
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT OBJECTION, SO ORDERED.
           

           MR. WELLSTONE: MR. PRESIDENT, I WOULD ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT,
           FIRST OF ALL, THAT A ARTICLE BY BARTLETT AND STEELE BE -- THIS
           IS AN ARTICLE THAT WAS A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION, "TIME"
           MAGAZINE, THE TITLE OF WHICH IS
           
           "SOAKED BY CONGRESS: RAVISHED WITH CAMPAIGN CASH, LAWMAKERS ARE
           REFORMING BANKRUPTCY PUSHING THE DOWN TRAD ENTO CASH A FEW
           CHEATS," BY DONALD L. BARTLETT AND JAMES E. STEELE, FRANKLY,

           FOR THEIR INVESTIGATIVE WORK, SOME OF THE BEST INVESTIGATIVE
           JOURNALI IN THE COUNTRY. I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT THIS
           ARTICLE BE INCLUDED IN THE RECORD WITH MY REMARKS.
           

           THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT OBJECTION, SO ORDERED.
           

           MR. WELLSTONE: I THANK THE CHAIR. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK THESE
           TWO JOURNALISTS FOR THE WORK THEY'VE DONE OVER THE YEARS. I
           USED TO ASSIGN THEIR BOOKS TO CLASSES, AND I JUST THINK THAT
           IT'S -- IT'S VERY GOOD INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. MR. PRESIDENT,
           LET ME JUST READ FROM ONE PART OF THIS LONG, LENGTHY ARTICLE.
           AND I'VE SENT A COPY OF THIS OUT TO COLLEAGUES, AND I COMMEND
           THIS PIECE TO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES. "UNDER THE LEGISLATION

           BEFORE CONGRESS, NEW MEANS TESTS WOULD FORCE MORE BORROWERS
           INTO CHAPTER 13, LEADING TO STILL MORE FAILURES AND WOULD
           ELIMINATE BANKRUPTCY AS AN OPTION FOR OTHERS. FOR THIS SECOND
           GROUP, LIFE WILL BE ESPECIALLY BLEAK. LISTEN TO THEIR FUTURE AS
           DESCRIBED BY BRADY WILLIAMSON, WHO TEACHES CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
           AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN WISCONSIN." I MET HIM ACTUALLY
           ON SATURDAY -- "IN MADISON AND WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE FORMER
           NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY REFORM COMMISSION APPOINTED BY THE CONGRESS
           1995." THE FORMER CHAIRMAN -- THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FORMER

           NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY REFORM REVIEW COMMISSION. "A FAMILY WITHOUT
           ACCESS TO THE BANKRUPTCY SYSTEM IS SUBJECT TO GARNISHMENT
           PROCEEDINGS, TO MULTIPLE COLLECTION ACTIONS, TO REPOSSESSION OF
           PERSONAL PROPERTY, AND A MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE. THERE IS
           VIRTUALLY NO WAY TO SAVE THEIR HOME AND FOR THE FAMILY THAT
           DOES NOT OWN A HOME NO, WAY TO EVER QUALIFY TO BUY ONE. THE
           WAGE EARNER WILL BE FACED WITH WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A LIFE TERM

           IN DITER'S PRISON." -- "LIFE TERM IN DEBTOR'S PRISON." BRADY
           ANDERSON, WHO TEACHES CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
           WISCONSIN, IS JOINED BY LAW PROFESSORS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY
           IN THEIR VERYTRONCRITIQUE -- I WOULD REALLY SAY CONDEMNATION --
           OF THIS BANKRUPTCY BILL. AGAIN, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FORMER
           NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY REFORM COMMISSION -- REVIEW COMMISSION,
           WHICH WAS APPOINTED IN 1995. MR. PRESIDENT, THE REASON I
           MENTION THIS IS THAT I WANT TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT

           THIS BILL. WHEN THERE WAS AN EFFORT TO SEPARATE THIS BANKRUPTCY
           BILL OUT FROM MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION, I OPPOSED IT. I OPPOSED
           THE UNANIMOUS CONSENT AGREEMENT. SENATOR FEINGOLD WAS OUT HERE
           ON THE FLOOR WITH ME. AND WE DID THIS BECAUSE WE REALLY
           BELIEVED THAT THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION DESERVES MORE SCRUTINY.
           ALBEIT IT PASSED BY A BIG MARGIN IN THE SENATE, BUT I'M TELLING
           YOU, MANY COLLEAGUES I THINK HAD NO IDEAOF SOME OF THE
           PROVISIONS THAT WERE IN THIS LEGISLATION, SOME REALLY EGREGIOUS

           PROVISIONS. WE'VE LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT MANY OF US CALL
           THE PENSION RAID, WHICH BASICALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME WOULD
           ENABLE THESE CREDITORS TO -- AS A CONDITION FOR MAKING A LOAN,
           TO CALL ON BORROWERS TO BE -- TO SAY, LOOK, YOU CAN ALSO PUT A
           LIEN ON MY PENSION. THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. NEVER BEEN
           DONE BEFORE. BUT THERE ARE OTHER EGREGIOUS PROVISIONS AS WELL,
           AND I AGAIN WANT TO POINT OUT LAST WEEK "TIME" MAGAZINE
           PUBLISHED THIS INVESTIGATIVE ARTICLE ENTITLED "SOAKED BY

           CONGRESS," AND WRITTEN BY DON BARTLETT AND JIM STEELE. AND THIS
           IS A TRUE PICTURE I THINK OF WHO FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY IN
           AMERICA. AND YOU WILL FIND A FAR DIFFERENT PROFILE OF WHO THE
           PEOPLE ARE THAN FROM THE SKEWED VERSION THAT WAS USED TO
           JUSTIFY THIS -- QUOTE -- "BANKRUPTCY REFORM BILL" PASSED BY THE
           HOUSE AND THE SENATE. NOW, MR. PRESIDENT, I'D LIKE TO JUST GIVE
           MY COLLEAGUES AN EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF FAMILIES THAT WE'RE
           TALKING ABOUT. WORKING FAMILIES, HARD-PRESSED FAMILIES CRUSHED
           BY DEBT, PEOPLE WHO NEED A FRESH START. AND I WANT MY

           COLLEAGUES -- AND I KNOW TOMORROW SENATOR KENNEDY IS GOING TO
           BE COMING OUT HERE WITH OTHER SENATORS. I'M GOING TO BE JOINING
           OTHER SENATORS IN SPEAKING ABOUT THIS BILL AS WELL. BUT SINCE I
           CAME TO THIS FLOOR AND I OBJECTED TO ANY UNANIMOUS CONSENT
           AGREEMENT ABOUT SEPARATING OUT -- SEPARATING THIS BANKRUPTCY
           BILL OUT AND PASSING IT AND MOVING IT FORWARD, AND SINCE I HAVE
           DONE EVERYTHING I KNOW HOW TO AS A SENATOR TO STOP THIS BILL, I
           WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHY. LET ME JUST FIRST OF ALL TALK ABOUT

           THIS LEGISLATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ORDINARY PEOPLE
           PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY, NOT THE BIG BANKS
           AND NOT THE BIG CREDIT CARD COMPANIES WHO HAVE BEEN RUNNING THE
           SHOW ON THIS LEGISLATION. I'D LIKE TO READ THE BEGINNING OF
           THIS ARTICLE BY BARTLETT AND STEELE. AND LET ME QUOTE --
           "CONGRESS IS ABOUT TO MAKE LIFE A LOT TOUGHER AND MORE
           EXPENSIVE FOR PEOPLE LIKE THE TRAPP FAMILY OF PLANTATION,
           FLORIDA. AS IF THEIR LIFE ISN'T HARD ENOUGH ALREADY,

           EIGHT-YEAR-OLD ELISE, THE OLDEST OF THE THREE TRAPP CHILDREN,
           IS A BRIGHT, SPUNKY DARK-HAIRED WISP WHO SUFFERS FROM A
           DEGENERATIVE MUSCULAR CONDITION. SHE LIVES IN A WHEELCHAIR OR
           BED, IS TIED TO A RESPIRATOR AT LEAST EIGHT HOURS A DAY, EATS
           MOSTLY THROUGH A TUBE, AND REQUIRES AROUND-THE-CLOCK NURSING
           CARE. DOCTORS HAVE IMPLANTED STEEL RODS IN HER BACK TO STEM THE
           CURVE TOUR OF HER SPINE. HER PARENTS, CHARLES AND LISA, ARE

           STARING AT A MEDICAL BILL OF $106,373 FROM MIAMI'S CHILDREN'S
           HOSPITAL. THEN THERE ARE THE CREDIT CARD DEBTS. THE $10,310
           THEY OWE BANK ONE, THE $5,537 THEY OWE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK,
           THE $8,222 THEY OWE MBNA AMERICA, THE $4,925 THEY OWE ON THEIR
           CITI CITIBANK PREFERRED VISA CARD, THE $6,838 THEY OWE ON THEIR

           DISCOVER CARD, THE $6,458 THEY OWE ON THEIR MASTERCARD. PEOPLE
           DON'T UNDERSTAND -- UNLESS THEY HAVE A MEDICALLY NEEDY CHILD,
           THESE KINDS OF CIRCUMSTANCES, SAYS CHARLES TRAPP, 42, A MAIL
           CARRIER." MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY, CHAPTER
           7, FOR A NEW START, ABOUT 40%-PLUS OF THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PUT
           UNDER BECAUSE OF A MEDICAL BILL. AND ALL THE STUDIES THAT WE --
           THAT WE SEE COMING OUT DON'T TALK ABOUT A LOT OF ABUSE, TALK

           ABOUT 3%, 4%, 5% OF THE PEOPLE AT MOST ABUSING THIS SYSTEM. AT
           MOST ABUSING THIS SYSTEM. BUT MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY
           THAT REALLY DO HAVE TO START, WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN THESE
           AWFUL SITUATIONS, FIND THEMSELVES IN THESE AWFUL SITUATIONS
           BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN A DIVORCE AND NOW YOU HAVE A SINGLE PARENT
           OR BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS OR BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE
           BEEN FACED WITH CATASTROPHIC MEDICAL BILLS. AND WE'RE GOING TO
           PUNISH THESE FAMILIES?
           NOW, COLLEAGUES, YOU BETTER BELIEVE -- AND I'M NOT EVEN GOING
           TO GO THROUGH THIS BECAUSE I -- I FEAR THAT I'LL JUST OFFEND
           SENATORS. AND I DON'T WANT TO BECAUSE IT'S MY NATURE TO LIKE

           PEOPLE. BUT I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING, THE FIGURES HERE ON THE
           AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S POURED IN NOT -- NOT -- NOW, LET ME BE
           CLEAR -- NOT ON ONE-TO-ONE. I AM NOT GOING TO STAND HERE AND
           SAY THAT EVERY SINGLE SENATOR WHO DISAGREES WITH ME ON THIS
           DISAGREES WITH ME BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF MONEY FROM BIG
           CREDIT CARD COMPANIES. THEN SOMEONE CAN TURN AROUND, I KNOW THE
           PRESIDING CHAIR CAN L AGREERX AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, EVERY
           POSITION YOU TAKE IS BASED UPON SOME MONEY YOU'VE RECEIVED FROM
           SOMEBODY. THAT IS SIMPLY -- IT'S AN ANALYSIS THAT I THINK

           SHOULD BE -- WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR? -- IT'S AN --
           IT'S UNACCEPTABLE. I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT. IT'S NOT FAIR TO
           PEOPLE I SERVE WITH AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT. I DON'T BELIEVE IT.
           BUT FROM AN INSTITUTIONAL POINT OF VIEW, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW
           WHO HAS POWER AND WHO DOESN'T IN AMERICA, YOU DO SEE
{END: 2000/05/15 TIME: 13-45 , Mon.  106TH SENATE, SECOND SESSION}