Commerce, Justice, Science, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

Ms. LINDA T. SÁNCHEZ of California. Mr. Chair, the Legal Services Corporation exists to promote equal access to justice and to provide high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. Since its establishment by Congress in 1974, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) has been the single largest provider of civil legal aid for the poor in the nation. LSC-funded programs serve the most basic civil legal needs of the poor in every state in the nation. The LSC helps people resolve landlord-tenant disputes, assists victims of domestic violence, and protects the elderly and other vulnerable groups from being victimized by unscrupulous lenders. Although the Legal Services Corporation has long garnered bipartisan support, some Members of this body are supporting efforts to decimate this already underfunded program. I am curious--do these Members think that poor people do not deserve access to legal help?

At least seven Members of the House submitted amendments that would take valuable dollars away from this invaluable program. One has even offered an amendment to eliminate all funding for the LSC. The message of these amendments is that if you are poor, you should take your lumps. Put your family in uninhabitable housing. Try to escape from domestic violence on your own. Let businesses defraud you with impunity. I say no. I am here as a proud supporter of the Legal Services Corporation. Over 95% of the LSC funding goes directly out to the programs. The Corporation consumes less than 5% in overhead.

I commend the Legal Services Corporation for addressing the justice gap that exists between rich and poor. Currently, for every eligible person assisted by LSC, one is turned away. Fifty percent of eligible citizens who seek help are turned away for one primary reason: lack of resources.

That is why I am grateful for Chairman Mollohan's leadership in lifting some of the cumbersome restrictions and increasing our investment in the LSC and the people it serves. The truth is that Congress should be moving towards a future where no American will have to surrender her rights because she lacks the funds to pay for a high priced attorney. Instead, these amendments would take us in the wrong direction.

I urge my colleagues to support the Legal Services Corporation and oppose efforts to limit the assistance it can provide.

Source