IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1390 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Legal Services Corporation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 25, 2024 

Ms. SCANLON (for herself and Mr. FITZPATRICK) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Legal Services 

Corporation. 

Whereas, on July 25, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon 

signed the Legal Services Corporation Act, which created 

the Legal Services Corporation; 

Whereas as stated in the declaration of purpose of the Legal 

Services Corporation Act, ‘‘there is a need to provide 

equal access to the system of justice in our Nation for 

individuals who seek redress of grievances’’ and ‘‘a need 

to provide high quality legal assistance to those who 

would be otherwise unable to afford adequate legal counsel’’ and that ‘‘providing legal assistance to those who 

face an economic barrier to adequate legal counsel will 

serve best the ends of justice and assist in improving opportunities for low-income persons’’; 


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Whereas the Legal Services Corporation awards grants 

through a competitive process and currently funds 130 

independent legal aid organizations with more than 900 

offices serving every county in every State, the District 

of Columbia, and the territories; 

Whereas the Legal Services Corporation is the country’s largest single funder of civil legal aid; 

Whereas the Legal Services Corporation grantees provide free 

civil legal aid to individuals who live in households with 

annual incomes at or below 125 percent of the Federal 

poverty guidelines; 

Whereas, over its 50 years of existence, the Legal Services 

Corporation’s grantees have assisted an estimated 

76,000,000 low-income Americans with free civil legal assistance, including 1,900,000 people in 2023; 

Whereas the justice gap, defined as the difference between 

the civil legal needs of low-income Americans and the resources available to meet those needs, has only widened 

since the Legal Services Corporation’s creation; 

Whereas nearly 50,000,000 Americans are eligible for the 

Legal Services Corporation-funded services, including 

more than 15,000,000 children and 7,600,000 seniors; 

Whereas eligible constituents span every demographic and 

live in rural, suburban, and urban areas, including veterans, those affected by opioids and other substance use 

disorders, survivors of natural disasters, domestic violence survivors, families with children, homeowners and 

renters, people with disabilities, and the elderly; 

Whereas 74 percent of low-income households have experienced at least one civil legal problem that has substantially impacted their lives in the past year; 


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Whereas low-income Americans receive no or inadequate assistance for 92 percent of their significant civil legal 

needs; and 

Whereas, due to limited resources, the Legal Services Corporation grantees turn away roughly half of the eligible 

individuals who seek assistance: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms that— 

3 (A) access to justice is a fundamental 

4 American value; 

5 (B) the United States must continue to 

6 strive to ensure that all Americans have equal 

7 access to the judicial system; and 

8 (C) the mission of the Legal Services Cor9 poration remains vital to ensuring equal access 

10 to justice; 

11 (2) commends the Legal Services Corporation 

12 and its grantees for assisting an estimated 

13 76,000,000 Americans over its 50 years, including 

14 1,900,000 low-income people in 2023; and 

15 (3) calls for continued prioritization of funding 

16 for the Legal Services Corporation— 

17 (A) to continue the mission of the Legal 

18 Services Corporation Act; 

19 (B) to close the justice gap; and 


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1 (C) to help protect equal access to justice 

2 for all Americans, regardless of personal means. 

Æ 


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