LSC Board Approves $516.5 Million Appropriation Request for FY 2012
The Legal Services Corporation’s Board of Directors voted on September 21 to request $516.5 million from Congress for the Corporation’s Fiscal Year 2012 appropriation.
The amount of the FY 2012 request is the same sought by LSC for FY 2011 and is $96.5 million more than the Corporation’s current funding level.
| Budget Category | Current Year (FY 2010) |
Request of FY 2012 |
| Basic Field Programs | $394,400,000 | $484,900,000 |
| Technology Initative Grants | $3,400,000 | $6,800,000 |
| Loan Repayment Assistance | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Management and Grants Oversight | $17,000,000 | $19,500,000 |
| Office of Inspector General | $4,200,000 | $4,350,000 |
| Total | $420,000,000 | $516,550,000 |
In adopting the request, the Board recognized the serious financial condition facing the country and President Obama’s request for restoring fiscal sustainability to the federal budget. They weighed their responsibility to meet the increased needs of the most vulnerable to obtain civil legal assistance against the nation’s financial crisis and decided to seek the same funding level as requested last year.
Of the total amount requested for FY 2012:
- $484.9 million would be for basic field grants to civil legal aid programs;
- $6.8 million would support innovative technology projects at LSC grantees;
- $1 million would provide loan repayment assistance to legal aid lawyers;
- $19.5 million would fund LSC's grants management and oversight functions, and
- $4.35 million would go to LSC’s Office of Inspector General.
LSC is currently funded at $420 million and expects to operate at that level into the beginning of FY 2011, which begins October 1. Congress is expected to pass a continuing resolution before the end of September to keep the government operating.