The amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure approved by the Supreme Court on April 17, 2000 are effective December 1, 2000. The changes to the rules are available for viewing on the World Wide Web at http://www.uscourts.gov/rules/approved.htm

On April 20, 2005, the President signed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (Pub. L. No. 109-08, 119 Stat. 23.) The Act, which exceeds 500 pages in length, makes significant changes to the Bankruptcy Code and affects nearly every aspect of bankruptcy cases. The Act generally takes effect on October 17, 2005. (Several provisions were effective upon enactment, while other provisions have individualized effective dates.) Because this does not provide sufficient time to promulgate rules under the Rules Enabling Act, courts are urged to adopt Interim Bankruptcy Rules, which were approved by the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules and the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure. Amended and new Official Forms have been adopted by the Judicial Conference to implement the new law. The following documents include the Interim Rules and Official Forms as well as Committee Notes and memoranda on the Interim Rules and Official Forms prepared by the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules (the Advisory Committee).

The Interim Rules are expected to apply to bankruptcy cases from October 17, 2005, until final rules are promulgated and effective under the regular Rules Enabling Act process.

Amended Interim Rules and Official Forms Implementing the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005