Congress Reviews Proposed Rules Amendments

The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has released its official prints of the federal rules package transmitted to Congress by the Supreme Court—House Documents 112-103 (pdf) and 112-104 (pdf). The amendments are under review in both the House and the Senate.

As part of the Rules Enabling Act process, the Court in April approved and transmitted to Congress amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Criminal Procedure. If Congress does not enact legislation to reject, modify, or defer the proposed amendments, they will take effect as a matter of law on December 1, 2012.

There are proposed amendments to Bankruptcy Rules 1007, 2015, 3001, 7054, and 7056, and to Criminal Rules 5 and 15, as well as a new Criminal Rule 37. The House Documents contain excerpts from the reports of the Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure and the advisory rules committees. A quick overview of the proposed changes is also available on the Judiciary’s website.