[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 92 (Thursday, June 18, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 16, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2847) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, 
     and Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2010, and for other purposes:

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chair, the Legal Services 
Corporation exists to promote equal access to justice and to provide 
high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. Since its 
establishment by Congress in 1974, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) 
has been the single largest provider of civil legal aid for the poor in 
the nation. LSC-funded programs serve the most basic civil legal needs 
of the poor in every state in the nation. The LSC helps people resolve 
landlord-tenant disputes, assists victims of domestic violence, and 
protects the elderly and other vulnerable groups from being victimized 
by unscrupulous lenders. Although the Legal Services Corporation has 
long garnered bipartisan support, some Members of this body are 
supporting efforts to decimate this already underfunded program. I am 
curious--do these Members think that poor people do not deserve access 
to legal help?
  At least seven Members of the House submitted amendments that would 
take valuable dollars away from this invaluable program. One has even 
offered an amendment to eliminate all funding for the LSC. The message 
of these amendments is that if you are poor, you should take your 
lumps. Put your family in uninhabitable housing. Try to escape from 
domestic violence on your own. Let businesses defraud you with 
impunity. I say no. I am here as a proud supporter of the Legal 
Services Corporation. Over 95% of the LSC funding goes directly out to 
the programs. The Corporation consumes less than 5% in overhead.
  I commend the Legal Services Corporation for addressing the justice 
gap that exists between rich and poor. Currently, for every eligible 
person assisted by LSC, one is turned away. Fifty percent of eligible 
citizens who seek help are turned away for one primary reason: lack of 
resources.
  That is why I am grateful for Chairman Mollohan's leadership in 
lifting some of the cumbersome restrictions and increasing our 
investment in the LSC and the people it serves. The truth is that 
Congress should be moving towards a future where no American will have 
to surrender her rights because she lacks the funds to pay for a high 
priced attorney. Instead, these amendments would take us in the wrong 
direction.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Legal Services Corporation and 
oppose efforts to limit the assistance it can provide.

                          ____________________