The New Small Business Reorganization Act

The new Small Business Reorganization Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump on August 23, 2019 and goes into effect in February 2020. The changes are long over due. Filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a small business has been problematic because it is more designed for a large company rather then a small one. Because of certain rules which could make it more difficult for the owners to retain their ownership in certain circumstances, chapter 11 was sometimes avoided even though it could provide relief. Now the debtor can elect to be treated as a subchapter V debtor as of February 19, 2020. The new Chapter streamlines the process and avoids the potential loss of ownership. It is more cost effective. It also allows the debtor to have his bankruptcy plan confirmed over objections as long as certain criteria are met. Overall it should allow a number of small businesses to successfully reorganize