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 Letters to the 106th Congress June 21, 2000 Dear Representative: When the House considers H.R. 4690, the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill for FY 2001, Congressmen Jose Serrano (D-NY), Jim Ramstad (R-MN), and William Delahunt (D-MA) will lead a bipartisan effort to restore funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). As you may know, the House Appropriations Committee slashed funding for LSC for the fifth year in a row to $141 million. LSC is currently funded at $305 million. For the past four years, the House has voted overwhelmingly to restore funding for LSC. This year, the American Bar Association asks you to vote for the Serrano/Ramstad/Delahunt amendment to restore LSC's funding at or near the current level of $305 million. The Corporation, formed in 1974 with bipartisan Congressional support and the endorsement of the Nixon Administration, was created to ensure that low-income Americans have the ability to resolve civil legal problems regardless of their ability to pay for a lawyer. Today, this is more important than ever. Despite the booming economy, the need for legal services by low-income Americans has never been greater. Studies show that only 20 percent of the legal needs of the poor are being met. More than 35 million Americans continue to live in poverty, making more than one in five eligible for LSC-funded representation. The ABA urges you to vote for the Serrano/Ramstad/Delahunt amendment and help ensure critical access to our system of justice for millions of Americans who cannot afford legal assistance. The ABA would be pleased to provide additional information regarding LSC's funding or the provision of legal services for the poor. I hope you will contact Julie Strandlie, in the ABA's Governmental Affairs Office, at (202) 662-1764. Sincerely,
William G. Paul
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AMERICAN BAR
ASSOCIATION Governmental Affairs Office 740 Fifteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 ph: 202-662-1760 fx: 202-662-1762 |
