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March 11, 2011
NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION URGES CONGRESS TO
PROTECT LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE POOR
House earlier voted to slash Legal Services
Corporation budget by $70 million
ALBANY--New York State Bar Association President Stephen
P. Younger today called on Congress to reject spending cuts for the
Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which provides critical legal services
to low-income Americans.
In February, the House voted to slash the LSC budget by $70 million, or
18 percent. Because the Senate rejected this cut, negotiations now are
taking place.
“The Legal Services Corporation assists thousands of low-income
Americans by providing them with lawyers in serious civil matters,
including child custody, orders of protection, apartment evictions and
home foreclosures. Cutting LSC funding is a cruel blow to people who are
already in crisis,” said Younger (Patterson, Belknap, Webb &
Tyler). “If our neighbors lose custody of a child, become
victims of domestic violence or become homeless – all for lack of
a lawyer – the cost to our government will be far greater than the
cost of providing legal services.”
The House’s February proposal would result in a loss of more
than $5 million to organizations providing legal services to low-income
New Yorkers. “Since the cuts would come mid-year, the true impact
is equivalent to a $10 million cut over six months,” Younger
noted.
Younger applauded U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand
for their con-tinued advocacy on behalf of indigent legal services.
On February 14, the American Bar Association passed a resolution,
initiated by the New York State Bar Association and co-sponsored by 25
other groups, opposing cuts to the LSC in the current fiscal year and
urging Congress to provide adequate funds to address the legal needs of
low-income litigants.
The 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. It was
founded in 1876.
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