# 119-hr-8589: Closing Bankruptcy Loopholes for Child Predators Act of 2026

119-hr-8589, Closing Bankruptcy Loopholes for Child Predators Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8589
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8589
- Congress: 119
- Title: Closing Bankruptcy Loopholes for Child Predators Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-29
- Sponsor: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Creates a bankruptcy-specific definition of sexual abuse of a child** and ties that definition into bankruptcy procedures to address misuse of bankruptcy by people who committed or were responsible for child sexual abuse. The bill would add a new paragraph, Section 101(51B), that defines the term by referencing specified federal crimes and similar state laws. - Survivors and victims: The new statutory definition names the harms covered when the aggrieved person was a minor. That gives bankruptcy cases a clear, uniform standard for claims rooted in the listed offenses. - People accused or convicted of abuse: The bill links those listed criminal statutes to how bankruptcy proceedings treat related claims. Those statutes include, for example, 18 U.S.C. 1589, 1590, 1591, 2241(c), 2251, 2252, 2422, 2423, 2258, and others. - Bankruptcy courts and trustees: Courts and trustees would use the new Section 101(51B) when handling cases involving child sexual abuse to apply bankruptcy-specific consequences and procedures consistently.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13] (D-OH), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. De La Cruz, Monica [R-TX-15] (R-TX), 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger bankruptcy rights for survivors: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would bar bankruptcy discharges for debts from child sexual abuse when the debtor committed the abuse or was grossly negligent. It would add a clear definition of "sexual abuse of a child" tied to listed federal crimes. It would let abuse claims proceed even if a bankruptcy pet…
- Stricter bankruptcy rules for organizations: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar small businesses from using Subchapter V to resolve claims arising from child sexual abuse. It would make third-party releases harder by requiring debtor consent and at least 90% of voting creditors in many cases and stronger disclosure from third parties. In chapter…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8589 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8589)

## 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-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8589 (as of 2026-09-21).