September 5, 2018: State Bar Association President Calls on Congress to Pass Budget for the Legal Services Corporation

September 5, 2018: State Bar Association President Calls on Congress to Pass Budget for the Legal Services Corporation

9.5.2018

By Communications Department

With the federal government’s fiscal year set to end on September 30, New York State Bar Association President Michael Miller called on Congress to pass appropriations legislation to fund the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) at $410 million.

LSC is an independent non-profit corporation established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans.  Federal funding to independent non-profit legal aid programs across the country helps to promote equal access to justice.

“In light of the ongoing need for civil legal services throughout New York State and beyond, it is critically important that the federal government provide adequate funding for LSC, which is the New York State Bar Association’s top federal legislative priority,” Miller said.

New York State has seven LSC grantees:

Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York, Legal Assistance of Western New York, Legal Services NYC, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, and Neighborhood Legal Services (Buffalo)

Miller has written to New York’s Congressional delegation to thank them for their efforts to secure LSC funding and urge passage of the 2019 LSC budget.  Michael Miller’s letter to the New York Congressional Delegation can be viewed here: [link]

About the New York State Bar Association

The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, the Association has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.

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Contact: Brendan Kennedy
[email protected]
518/487-5541