Volume 1, Number 1
The Spring 2004 Meeting
The ABI
Legislative Committee will meet on Saturday, April 17, 2004, between
9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., at the 2004
Annual Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C. The following is the program
agenda:
1. Sarbanes/Oxley — One Year Later, How Is It Working?
Thomas Salerno, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P., Phoenix, Ariz.2. Legislation Affecting Identity Theft Prevention and Fair Credit Reporting
Susan Jensen, Counsel, House Judiciary Committee, Washington, D.C.3. What is Happening to Bankruptcy Reform Legislation? (A Look at the Process.)
Will We Have a Major Bill, a Mini Bill, or Nothing?
Philip Corwin, Butera & Andrews, Washington, D.C.
David Lachman, Minority Staff Member, House Judiciary Subcommittee on the
Constitution, Washington, D.C.
Moderators:
Judge David W. Houston III, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District
of Mississippi
Judge George C. Paine, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District
of Tennessee
This year's Annual Spring Meeting program will offer up to 19 hours of CLE/CPE credit and many sessions on a wide variety of bankruptcy-related topics. Register today online!
Summary Of The Winter Leadership Conference 2003 Program
At the 2003 Winter Leadership Conference, the ABI Legislative Committee conducted a joint educational session with the ABI Mass Torts Committee. The program focused on The Fairness In Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2003 (FAIR Act), which is currently pending in Congress. David Austern (General Counsel, Claims Resolution Management Corporation and Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, Falls Church, Va.) spoke on the current status of the asbestos trusts and their anticipated fate should the FAIR Act be passed. Francis McGovern (Duke Law School, Durham, N.C.) delivered a presentation on the various sections and provisions of the Act. Sander Esserman (Stutzman & Bromberg, Dallas, Texas) and Jim Stengel, (Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, New York) then offered their point/counterpoint perspectives as to the feasibility and practicality of the legislation. The program concluded with a discussion of the impact of the legislation on pending cases, as well as potential adjustments that might occur in the structure of the Act prior to its final passage. Ted Freedman (Kirkland & Ellis LLP, New York) served as the program’s moderator along with Judge Judith Fitzgerald (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Pennsylvania). The presentations were outstanding.
The Status
Of Bankruptcy Reform And Bankruptcy Judgeships
On March 19, 2003, the House passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and
Consumer Act of 2003, (H.R. 975), the “Bankruptcy Reform Legislation”
that included 27 new bankruptcy judgeships approved by the Judicial Conference
of the United States several years ago. The bill was sent to the Senate,
but no action was taken on it.
To
read this article, click here
H.R. 2622, which passed both the Senate and the House, amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prevent identity theft, to improve the resolution of consumer disputes and to improve the accuracy of consumer records. This legislation also makes improvements in consumer access to credit information. It is known as the National Consumer Credit Reporting System Improvement Act of 2003 and became Public Law No: 108-159 on December 4, 2003. This legislation will be discussed at the ABI Legislative Committee program during the Spring 2004 Annual Meeting.