Representative Ed Perlmutter talked about mortgage legislation that would allow bankruptcy judges to write down the principal and interest rate of loans for people whose mortgages are higher than the value of their homes, and he responded to telephone calls and electronic mail. The legislation is part of a larger bill, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, that the House will debate. Representative Perlmutter is a former bankruptcy lawyer who questions the bill and its impact on bankruptcy courts and consumers.