Federal Spending Bill Increases Funding for LSC by $10 Million
The $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress to fund the federal government for FY 2015 includes $375 million for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the nation’s single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans. This amount is $10 million more than LSC received last year.
"We are particularly grateful to the leadership of the House and Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittees, including Rep. Frank Wolf, Rep. Chaka Fattah, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, and Sen. Richard Shelby," LSC Board Chair John Levi said. "As Chairman Wolf retires, we especially want to acknowledge his support for civil legal aid and his encouragement of LSC’s commitment to promote pro bono."
"We are grateful to Congress for a $10 million increase in our funding despite a challenging budget climate," LSC President Jim Sandman said. "This reflects bipartisan recognition of the importance of providing access to justice for the record number of Americans who cannot afford to pay for a lawyer."
The vast majority of LSC’s funding is used to support 134 local nonprofit legal aid organizations with almost 800 offices across the United States via grants for the delivery of civil legal assistance to low-income Americans.
Legal Services Corporation (LSC) was established by the Congress in 1974 to provide equal access to justice and to ensure the delivery of high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 134 independent non-profit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.