FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 1999
CONTACT: Dan Rene, 703-847-3088 or
drene@nlpc.org
Washington, D.C. -- A letter arriving at Congressional offices on April 1, 1999 purportedly from the president of the federally funded Legal Services Corporation, thanked Congress for the $17 million increase in taxpayer funding voted for LSC last year.
Each letter had a cocktail parasol taped to it ("a small token of my thanks"). The letter continued:
"Thanks to the generosity of Congress and the American taxpayer, the legal services program has been able to fight poverty by holding meetings at expensive beach resorts."The letter proceeded to describe a February LSC board meeting at Miami Beach's Eden Roc Resort and Spa as well as a December "issues conference" at the Caribe Hilton beach resort in Puerto Rico.
The "P.S." at the bottom of the letter stated:
"Though the facts stated above are all true, this is an April Fool's Day message from critics of LSC at National Legal and Policy Center. Just a reminder that LSC is still using tax dollars to promote a political agenda in the name of helping the poor."National Legal and Policy Center Chairman, Ken Boehm, stated, "Through an oversight, LSC forgot to tell Congress about their various beach resort events with tax dollars at their most recent appropriations hearing. It's typical of the legal services program that the only way Congress learns of their routine wasting of taxpayers money is through an April Fool's Day letter."
NLPC has become the leading watchdog organization exposing abuses with the federal legal services program. NLPC promotes ethics and accountability in government through distribution of the "Code of Ethics for Government Service," and through research, education and legal action. (And thats no joke!)
Complaint to LSC Filed By NLPC and Traditional Values Coalition -- Mar. 31, 1999
Legal Services Accountability Project