Congress Passes Obama-Hatch Tithing Bill

A bill that would allow tithing to those who have declared bankruptcy will go to the White House for the President's signature or veto.

We wanted to pass along the good news that the bipartisan tithing bill will be sent to President Bush for his signature.  The bill will reverse a provision in the bankruptcy bill to allow religious tithing during a consumer's bankruptcy.

Congress Passes Obama-Hatch
Tithing Bill

Clarifies Treatment of
Charitable Contributions in Bankruptcy Law

WASHINGTON – The House of
Representatives today gave final approval to a bill sponsored by Senators Barack
Obama (D-IL) and Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) to protect an
individual's right to continue reasonable charitable contributions, including
religious tithing, during the course of consumer bankruptcy. The measure
passed the United States Senate in late September and will now be presented to
the President for his signature.

"Congress has a long history of protecting our religious
freedom to tithe," Hatch said. "That was our intent when we enacted bankruptcy
reform last year, and this bill clarifies the law so that those who tithe can
continue to live their faith while in bankruptcy."

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"For millions of Americans, ncharitable giving and tithing is an essential part of their lives," Obama said. n"And in a country where 37 million citizens live in poverty, we should be nencouraging charitable giving, not limiting nit."

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The Hatch-Obama bill, S. 4044, responds to a recent ncourt ruling that above-medium income debtors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy ncannot deduct charitable contributions, including religious ncontributions, from their payment plans. The ruling was based on an ninterpretation of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of n2005 (BAPCPA). Hatch and Obama authored S. 4044 to ensure that all nindividuals in bankruptcy, no matter their income, would be able to ncontinue giving to charity and their church.

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—
"Faith is not belief.  Belief is passive.  Faith is active." – Edith Hamilton

Jesse Lava
Co-Founder and Executive Director
FaithfulDemocrats.com, a division of Faithful Media, Inc.n
PO Box 7073
Chicago, IL 60680-7073

Office: 312-235-4739
Cell: 847-347-0650nn”,0]
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"For millions of Americans,
charitable giving and tithing is an essential part of their lives," Obama said.
"And in a country where 37 million citizens live in poverty, we should be
encouraging charitable giving, not limiting
it."

The Hatch-Obama bill, S. 4044, responds to a recent
court ruling that above-medium income debtors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy
cannot deduct charitable contributions, including religious
contributions, from their payment plans. The ruling was based on an
interpretation of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of
2005 (BAPCPA). Hatch and Obama authored S. 4044 to ensure that all
individuals in bankruptcy, no matter their income, would be able to
continue giving to charity and their church.