Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Legal Services Corporation.

Bill: 118-hres-1390
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5]
Introduced: 2024-07-25
Policy area: Law
Latest action: action_date: 2024-07-25
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-07-25
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution commends the Legal Services Corporation and its grantees for assisting an estimated&nbsp;76 million&nbsp;Americans over its 50 years. The resolution also calls for continued prioritization of funding for the Legal Services Corporation.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1390 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 ; 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; 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

That the House of Representatives— (1) reaffirms that— (A) access to justice is a fundamental American value; (B) the United States must continue to strive to ensure that all Americans have equal access to the judicial system; and (C) the mission of the Legal Services Corporation remains vital to ensuring equal access to justice; (2) commends the Legal Services Corporation and its grantees for assisting an estimated 76,000,000 Americans over its 50 years, including 1,900,000 low-income people in 2023; and (3) calls for continued prioritization of funding for the Legal Services Corporation— (A) to continue the mission of the Legal Services Corporation Act; (B) to close the justice gap; and (C) to help protect equal access to justice for all Americans, regardless of personal means.