WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Trustee Program today announced that the temporary waiver of the credit counseling and debtor education requirements for bankruptcy filers in the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana and the Southern District of Mississippi will be extended, due to the continued effects of Hurricane Katrina in those areas.

The Bankruptcy Code requires an individual to undergo credit counseling before filing bankruptcy and to complete a debtor education course before receiving a bankruptcy discharge. The Bankruptcy Code permits the United States Trustees to waive the credit counseling and debtor education requirements in judicial districts where approved credit counseling agencies and debtor education courses are not adequate to serve bankruptcy filers. After Hurricane Katrina struck in September 2005, the United States Trustee for Region 5 made this determination with respect to the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana and the Southern District of Mississippi. The Bankruptcy Code requires this determination to be reviewed annually.

The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 5 is headquartered in New Orleans with additional offices in Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss.