From the Office of Senator Kerry

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Congressmen Barney Frank and James McGovern, and Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry announced today that Congress has approved the final stage of funding for the Southern New England School of Law's immigration law clinic. The 2005 omnibus appropriations legislation adopted by Congress this past weekend includes, at their request, $124,000 for the clinic, a figure which, when combined with the $225,000 included in previous funding bills, reaches the total originally sought by the school when the concept of the clinic was conceived. "This final installment of federal funding is very important, not only because it allows the clinic to take on its full form, but also because it strengthens the case for the pending merger of Southern New England with U Mass Dartmouth," Frank said. "A key argument in favor of combining the two schools is that the merged law school will offer vital training in public interest areas of the law that receive less attention. This clinic is a perfect example of that." "I'm very pleased that the delegation was able to provide this final phase of funding," McGovern said. "SNESL is an important institution in our community, and the Immigration Law Clinic provides a real public service. If the schools are merged, which I support, this clinic will be a vital part of the new institution." "The Immigration Law Clinic is such an important resource and I’m grateful that our colleagues approved our request," Kennedy said. "Southern New England School of Law does a great job, and I look to continuing to work with the clinic." “I am pleased to work with Congressmen Barney Frank and Jim McGovern and with Senator Kennedy to provide federal funding to expand the Southern New England School of Law’s Immigration Law Clinic,” Kerry said.

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