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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 613 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 613

   Recognizing the 50th anniversary of North Mississippi Rural Legal 
                    Services in Oxford, Mississippi.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 29, 2016

 Mr. Wicker (for himself, Mr. Cochran, and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Recognizing the 50th anniversary of North Mississippi Rural Legal 
                    Services in Oxford, Mississippi.

Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services, originally called Lafayette 
        County Legal Aid, was organized in 1966 as a training program for law 
        students at the University of Mississippi School of Law;
Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services was organized to combine the 
        provision of legal services with a teaching program to develop a law 
        school curriculum with a focus on the legal problems of low-income 
        individuals, and North Mississippi Rural Legal Services was subsequently 
        incorporated as an independent nonprofit corporation, receiving funds 
        from the National Legal Services Corporation;
Whereas the mission of North Mississippi Rural Legal Services is to provide 
        high-quality attorney representation and advocacy to ensure equal access 
        to justice for vulnerable members of society through constant training, 
        self-analysis, and community involvement;
Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services provides the highest quality of 
        legal and technical assistance, which improves the daily quality of life 
        for low-income individuals and contributes to the attainment of social, 
        economic, and legal equality;
Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services is governed by a 25-member board 
        of directors appointed by the Mississippi Bar, the Magnolia Bar, and 
        local advisory committees;
Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services has administrative offices in 
        Oxford, Mississippi, and offices in Clarksdale, Greenville, and West 
        Point, Mississippi, all of which strive daily to meet the unmet civil 
        legal needs of low-income Mississippians;
Whereas there are more than 250,000 low-income individuals in the 39-county 
        service area of North Mississippi Rural Legal Services, which, as of 
        2015, has served more than 17,000 Mississippians, providing access to 
        the legal system that might otherwise be unavailable to those 
        individuals due to their economic situation;
Whereas over the last 50 years, North Mississippi Rural Legal Services has 
        partnered with various funders, attorneys, friends, and corporate and 
        individual supporters to provide thousands of low-income clients with 
        habitable and affordable housing, safety, healthcare, economic security, 
        and financial independence while ensuring that each client maintains 
        inherent human dignity;
Whereas 50 years ago, the journey began to provide high-quality legal 
        representation to low-income Mississippians to ensure equal access to 
        the courts of the State of Mississippi;
Whereas in 2016, North Mississippi Rural Legal Services continues the quest for 
        justice to serve individuals and families regardless of race, age, 
        gender, and ethnicity; and
Whereas the partnership between North Mississippi Rural Legal Services and the 
        University of Mississippi School of Law continues the work of educating 
        law students to increase the number of attorneys in the State of 
        Mississippi who are sensitive to the needs of low-income individuals and 
        knowledgeable in the areas of the law that affect those individuals: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and commends outstanding acts of public 
        service like those of North Mississippi Rural Legal Services;
            (2) with great pride, joins in paying tribute to North 
        Mississippi Rural Legal Services, a most effective and public-
        spirited organization, the advocacy of which on behalf of less 
        fortunate Mississippians is a matter of record; and
            (3) recognizes the 50th anniversary of North Mississippi 
        Rural Legal Services in Oxford, Mississippi.
                                 <all>
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