Bankruptcy measure on fast track to Bush

WASHINGTON – Legislation making it harder for people to use bankruptcy to get out of credit-card debts began a speeded-up journey back to the White House on Thursday.

Vetoed late last year by then-President Clinton, bankruptcy overhaul was the first major bill to come to a vote in the new Congress. The House voted 306-108 for it Thursday, with majority Republicans solidly in support and Democrats split.

An expectation that President Bush will sign the measure has boosted momentum for passage of the most sweeping overhaul of bankruptcy laws in 20 years. It zoomed through the House drafting process despite new government data that show personal bankruptcies have declined in recent years.

The legislation’s progress has been only slightly slower in the Senate, where the two parties have a 50-50 split, and Democrats recently blocked a GOP effort to rush it through. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday, 10-8, to approve a parallel bill and send it to the full Senate, which may vote next week.

Some Democratic opponents criticized the House’s priorities, saying campaign finance reform, prescription drug coverage for seniors or minimum wage increases should be more pressing.

The legislation has been pushed by the banking and retail credit industries, with donations to federal candidates and the political parties from finance and credit card companies totaling $9.2 million during the 2000 election cycle. Consumer groups, unions and groups representing women and children oppose the measure.

Bush’s biggest donor during his campaign was MBNA Corp., one of the world’s largest credit card companies. MBNA gave $237,675 to Bush’s presidential campaign, making it his largest individual contributor, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group that studies campaign finance.

The bankruptcy bill was passed overwhelmingly last year, then was vetoed in December by Clinton on grounds it would hurt ordinary people and working families who fall on hard times.