The letter encourages funding for Legal Services Corporation, which funds offices in all 50 states — including dozens in Pa.

Attorney General Dave Sunday co-led a letter to Congress — joined by 39 other Attorneys General — urging to keep in place critical funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which aids vulnerable residents who need civil representation.

LSC’s network of legal aid organizations assists veterans in securing benefits they are entitled to; enables domestic violence survivors access to safety resources; and protects older adults from scams and financial exploitation.

LSC services are particularly beneficial to people and families living in rural populations — such as Sullivan, Potter, Forest, and Tioga counties — where attorney shortages are more likely to exist.

There are 77 legal aid offices in Pennsylvania funded by LSC.

“Everyone should have access to legal representation to maintain safe and stable housing, rightful benefits that keep them healthy, and protection against violence and scams,” Attorney General Sunday said. “As a co-leader of this letter, I commend my colleagues who are adamantly telling Congress that the Legal Services Corporation must keep necessary funding to provide these basic rights to underserved communities.”

The letter is addressed to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the House and Senate Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

LSC operates a network of 130 independent legal aid organizations in over 900 offices in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, assisting millions of Americans in every congressional district with legal needs

Attorneys General have a long history of supporting federal funding for LSC. With Congressional leaders debating potential budget cuts, the bipartisan group of attorneys general are joining forces to urge leaders from both parties to prioritize funding for LSC, calling the organization a good steward of taxpayer dollars. The letter also notes the corporation distributes 95 percent of its funding directly to the legal aid organizations providing services to Americans.

Joining Attorney General Sunday in signing the letter are the Attorneys General of Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

View the Letter in Support of LSC