Before going into the details of the same, it will be imperative to understand what Chapter 9 is all about!

1. Chapter 9 is a provision of United States federal bankruptcy law.
2. It governs how municipalities can declare and resolve bankruptcy.
3. It enables legal protection to the municipalities, allowing them to fabricate again or restructure and thus become more secure financially.

The following protections are involved in this:-

• An automatic stay-

It suspends the debt payments of municipalities during the debt negotiation procedure.

There is not additional interest due to the same.

This measure designs to protect from the creditor’s claims.

• Limited federal bankruptcy court oversight-

In this, the Court can only approve or deny municipality eligibility.

It can accept or reject the restructuring plan of a municipality debt.

Also, it can provide oversight during the implementation of a program.

• Appointment of a local judge-

It ensures that the presiding judge does not have any political conflict of interest.

The chief judge of the Court appeals in the district, which is the location of the bankruptcy court.

• Bankruptcy exit plan-

Here both the municipality and its creditors need to agree to the idea.

However, the municipality controls the final submission.

How can a municipality qualify for Chapter 9?

The following criteria are of significance for a municipality to qualify for Chapter 9:-

• If the municipality is unable to pay its debts when they are due.
• If the municipality authorizes by the state law to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
• If the municipality is voluntarily seeking to find the resolution of its debt.
• The municipality has already made an effort to avail restructuring agreements with its creditors.

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