# 119-hr-8111: Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act

119-hr-8111, Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8111
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8111
- Congress: 119
- Title: Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-26
- Sponsor: Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Curb forum shopping in Chapter 11 by locking venue to districts with a real connection to the debtor.** This bill would rewrite venue rules to confine Chapter 11 cases to districts tied to a debtor's domicile, principal place of business, or principal assets and would streamline change-of-venue procedures to limit tactical filings.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6] (R-VA), 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Government attorneys may appear without local counsel: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would direct the Supreme Court to make rules letting attorneys for government units appear and intervene in bankruptcy cases without hiring local counsel or paying extra appearance charges. This would apply in bankruptcy courts, district courts, and bankruptcy appellate panels…
- Faster, stricter venue disputes in court: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would speed up and tighten venue fights in bankruptcy cases. If a case is filed in the wrong district, the court would have to either dismiss it immediately or, if justice requires, transfer it right away to a district where it could have been filed. The party that started the…
- Limits on where bankruptcies can be filed: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would narrow the districts where Chapter 11 cases may start. For the 180 days before filing, individuals could file only where their U.S. domicile, residence, or main U.S. assets were located for the most days. Businesses could file only where their principal place of business…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-8014: Online Privacy Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8111 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8111)

## Related
- [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-8014: Online Privacy Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8014)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5089)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8111 (as of 2026-04-21).