April 3, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Legal Aid Leaders Testify on Need for Funding Increase
Washington, DC--Leaders from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the single largest source of funding for civil legal aid programs nationwide, testified before a House panel yesterday on the critical need for increased funding to provide crucial legal assistance to the millions of low-income Americans forced to confront serious civil legal problems without the help of an attorney.
LSC Board Chairman Frank B. Strickland and President Helaine M. Barnett appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies to present the case for LSC's FY 2009 budget request for $471 million, an increase of $121 million over current funding levels. The subcommittee is led by Chairman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W. Va., and Ranking Member Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, R-N.J.
Strickland and Barnett told the subcommittee that an increase is necessary in light of LSC's groundbreaking report, Documenting the Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans, which found that funding shortages force LSC's civil legal aid programs to turn away 50 percent of eligible low-income Americans seeking their assistance. In addition, the nationwide foreclosure crisis has flooded programs with requests for assistance, resulting in a doubling of foreclosure-related caseloads in some instances. Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, last year's wildfires in southern California, and the recent tornadoes in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia continue to create new clients for LSC-funded programs. Without a funding increase, LSC's programs will not be able to meet the increased demand for their services.
"The LSC Board and I urge you to restore adequate funding for the provision of civil legal aid to the most vulnerable among us," said Barnett. "In this effort, the federal government must lead the way consistent with its role in fulfilling the promise of our Constitution, the promise inscribed on the Supreme Court Building: equal justice under law."
"Clearly there is much work to be done to improve access to justice," said Chairman Mollohan to Strickland and Barnett, "and this committee appreciates your efforts to do so." Rep. Frelinghuysen commended LSC for its work, and commented on the valuable services provided by legal aid programs in New Jersey.
Strickland also updated the subcommittee on LSC's progress implementing the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in recent reports on the Corporation's governance and accountability practices, and grants management and oversight. In response to GAO's suggestions, the Board approved a Code of Ethics and Conduct, established a separate Audit Committee, and approved the continued use of the Government Accounting Standards Board guidelines for LSC's financial reports. LSC management has completed the first phase of a Continuity of Operations Plan for the Corporation, and is working towards establishing a more formal and rigorous risk management program. LSC's Board has also established an ad hoc committee, consisting of three Board members, responsible for working with the Corporation's management and Office of Inspector General to establish better coordination and information sharing, and to define a clear delineation of oversight responsibilities.
LSC is an independent, non-profit Corporation created by Congress in 1974 to promote equal access to justice and to provide high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. The Corporation gives grants to independent, local programs--in 2008, 137 programs with more than 900 offices nationwide. Clients of LSC-funded programs include families facing homelessness due to eviction or foreclosure, women imprisoned by domestic abuse, and senior citizens victimized by predatory lenders.
For more information: www.lsc.gov.
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