[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 150 (Friday, October 29, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13552-S13553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. COVERDELL (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mr. Roth, Mr. Edwards, 
        Mr. Graham, Mr. Cleland, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Mikulski, and Mr. 
        Mack):
  S. 1830. A bill to provide for the appointment of additional 
temporary bankruptcy judges, and for other purposes; to the Committee 
on the Judiciary.


                        bankruptcy judgeship act

  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that would address the growing bankruptcy caseload in our federal 
judiciary. Increased bankruptcy filings are placing a severe strain on 
our federal courts and on the judges who preside over these cases. The 
House and Senate bankruptcy reform bills seek to address this issue by 
authorizing eighteen new bankruptcy judges. While Congress recognizes 
the need for these judges, it has not yet taken the step it deems 
necessary to approve another needed group of bankruptcy judges 
identified by the U.S. Judicial Conference in March of this year. This 
legislation would authorize these six judgeships and help our federal 
judiciary address an overburdensome workload.
  My home state of Georgia is one of the states that the Judicial 
Conference has indicated needs another bankruptcy judge. The middle and 
southern districts in Georgia have, respectively, the eighth and ninth 
highest weighted caseloads in the country. The most recent data from 
the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts indicates that the 
weighted bankruptcy filings per authorized judgeships is 1,907 for the 
middle district and 1,880 for the Southern district. Even with approval 
of a new judge for the southern district, the three full-time judges in 
that district would still carry a caseload that exceeds the threshold 
of 1,500 weighted hours that justifies the creation of another 
judgeship.
  The review undertaken by the Judicial Conference of the workload in 
these Georgia districts also found that caseloads are being managed in 
a highly efficient manner. The Judicial Conference had no suggestions 
to assist the court in expending its caseload. A new judgeship is the 
only solution to this caseload problem.
  I understand that the Judicial Conference used the same criteria to 
justify the 6 new judgeships in their March 1999 recommendation that 
they used to justify the 18 judgeships in the bankruptcy reform bills. 
Understanding the need for a new bankruptcy judge in my state, I 
support the Judicial Conference's recommendation,

[[Page S13553]]

and other states' efforts to obtain an additional judge. I am pleased 
that Senator Biden, Edwards, Graham, Cleland, Sarbanes, Mikulski, and 
Mack, whose states were also included in the March 1999 Judicial 
Conference recommendation, have joined me on this bill. I believe this 
legislation will shed important light on caseloads and the need for new 
judges. The last time Congress approved new bankruptcy judgeships was 
seven years ago. These judges are needed now and I hope Congress will 
move forward in approving them.
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