Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2012
Public Law 112-121 · H.R. 4967 · 112th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on May 25, 2012 · Law
Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX-21)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Howard Coble,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2012 - (Sec. 2) Extends the temporary office of certain bankruptcy judgeships authorized or extended under the Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 1992 and Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2005 until applicable vacancies identified in this Act occur in the office of a bankruptcy judge for specified districts in California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Nevada.
Prohibits filling specified bankruptcy judge vacancies in such districts occurring more than five years after enactment of this Act and resulting from the death, retirement, resignation, or removal of a bankruptcy judge (thus extending the lapse date under current law by five years).
(Sec. 3) Increases by a specified amount the bankruptcy filing fee for a case commenced under chapter 11 (Reorganization) that does not concern a railroad. Requires that certain incremental amounts collected by reason of such increased fees be: (1) deposited in a special fund in the Treasury; and (2) made available to offset funds appropriated for the operation and maintenance of U.S. courts, but only to the extent specifically appropriated by an Act enacted after enactment of this Act.
Reduces the percentage of such fees to be deposited as offsetting collections to the U.S. Trustee System Fund (funds available to the Attorney General for operations of U.S. trustees). Increases the percentage of chapter 7 (Liquidation) and 13 (Adjustment of Debts of an Individual with Regular Income) fees to be deposited as offsetting receipts to remain available to the Judiciary for expenses, services, and administration of U.S. courts.
(Sec. 4) Requires Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate, prior to further reauthorization of any judgeship authorized by this Act, to: (1) conduct a review of the bankruptcy judgeships authorized by this Act to determine the need for continued reauthorization of each judgeship; (2) evaluate any changes in all bankruptcy case filings and the effect on filing fee revenue; and (3) require the Administrative Office of the Courts to submit a report on bankruptcy case workload, bankruptcy judgeship costs, and filing fee revenue.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1021Related bill
Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2011
S. 1821Related bill
Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2011
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- May 25, 2012Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-121.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 18, 2012FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- May 14, 2012FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- May 10, 2012FloorFloor · Received in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- May 9, 2012FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Coble asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Judiciary discharged.
- Apr 27, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.