Date: 1981-06-16
Speaker: WILLIAM J. COYNE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I ask for unanimous approval to revise and extend my remarks. I rise in support of H.R. 3480. a bill to reauthorize the legal Services Corporation. I urge my fellow colleagues to support the legislation that is before us today. H.R. 3480 would authorize appropriations for 2 additional years. at a funding level of $260 million for fiscal year 1982 and $260 million for fiscal year 1983. The Legal Services Corporation authorization bill as reported out of the Judiciary Committee amends the original act by adding certain restrictions on existing corporation functions. Among the changes is a prohibition on classaction suites against Government entities. Assistance may not be provided for any- actions to litigate cases to legalize homosexuality. support in abortion proceedings would not be allowed unless it would be necessary to save the life of a mother. In addition. H.R. 3480 states that corporation employees and officers would be prohibited from lobbying and State advisory councils would be established to review grant and contract applications as well as to investigate alleged violations by local grant recipients. In the continuing controversy about the Legal Services Corporation. 22 amendments have been introduced. These amendments focus on particular aspects of the act but for the most part tend to be counterproductive. target sections that are already covered in the existing legislation and seek to erode the general effectiveness of the Legal Services Corporation. The Legal Services Corporation was created by Congress with bipartisan support in 1974. It is a private nonprofit Corporation. To be eligible to participate in the program. and Individual must earn no more than $5.388 per year and a family of four $10.563. The Legal Services Corporation serves the truly needy in our country. This necessary program makes the concept of equal justice a reality. Every individual deserves equal representation in and access to our court system. It is estimated that legal serviee attorneys in 323 programs around the country handled 1.5 million cases last year. This means that 2 attorneys serve approximately 10.000 truly needy people. In the 14th Congressional District of Pennsylvania which I represent in Congress. neighborhood legal services hax been assisting thousands of people who would otherwise not be represented by our legal system. During the weeks following the administrations budget cut recommendations. I received almost 500 letters from men and women in my district who were frightened and distressed by the talk of eliminating this vital program. Letter after letter stressed how helpful legal service attorneys were In settling housing. consumer. health care. and family law cases. The common concern was clearly expressed: what will we do without legal assistance? I cannot understand why there is opposition to this fine program. Few programs can boast that they can serve a client for a mere $10 and that overhead is only 3 percent of the total budget. This is not a program run in Washington. D.C.. far removed from the people it serves. The Legal Services Corporation is administered locally. not in Washington but by a board of directors made up of residents in the community they serve. This local aspect allows each program to deter mine how best to meet the needs of its constituents and community. With a proposed fiscal year 1982 Federal budget of $695 billion. $260 million is a negligible sum to allocate for a program that has proven to be very successful and cost effective. Therefore. I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 3480 as it presently stands. In conclusion. Mr. Chairman. I want to stress the fact that certain rights guaranteed to our citizens are in danger of becoming. in fact. virtually nonexistent. if our citizens do not have adequate legal representation.