[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 136 (Wednesday, December 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN TRIBUTE TO THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 27, 2006

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today in 
celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Legal Aid Society of 
Milwaukee.
  Since 1916, this non-profit organization in my district has provided 
invaluable legal services to low-income people and other vulnerable 
members of society. Now serving over 8,000 people a year, the Legal Aid 
Society specializes in advocating for children, people living with HIV/
AIDS, the elderly, immigrants, those with mental illnesses, prisoners, 
and victims of domestic abuse. As a result of their work, thousands of 
people in my district have been protected from exploitation and 
discrimination, and many others have received redress when their basic 
human rights were violated.
  The Legal Aid Society has been a pioneer not only in representing 
vulnerable people, but also in developing mechanisms to ensure consumer 
relief, protection against discrimination, and equal access to legal 
representation. The Legal Aid Society took the lead in establishing the 
first small claims court in Milwaukee and together with the Milwaukee 
Bar Association, set up the state's first lawyer referral service. In 
1957, the Legal Aid Society initiated the state's first public defender 
system.
  Widely recognized throughout the State for these innovations, the 
Legal Aid Society is one of the foremost organizations in Wisconsin 
working to make sure that the law serves everyone. Several current and 
former Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justices worked at the Legal Aid 
Society before ascending to the high court, a testament both to the 
quality of legal representation this organization provides and to the 
role it plays in ensuring that attention to consumer law and the issues 
that affect low-income people are considered throughout the legal 
system.
  I am very grateful to the Legal Aid Society, and its current and 
former employees, for their commitment to ensuring that everyone has a 
voice in the system. It is a privilege to thank them for their 
dedicated service and salute this impressive progressive record.

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