[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 74 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3438-S3439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KOHL (for himself and Mr. Graham):
  S. 1106. A bill to authorize Department of Defense support for 
programs on pro bono legal assistance for members of the Armed Forces; 
to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today with Senator Graham to 
introduce the Justice for Troops Act. This legislation offers a simple 
solution to a serious problem that affects the well-being of our troops 
and their families. Today, when service men and women face civil legal 
problems they often have no access to legal assistance. When these 
troops face such problems, like child custody issues, complications 
with leases, mortgage payments or credit card debt that should be 
protected under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, or disputes over a 
bank account, they often have no access to legal assistance.
  Without representation, troops run the risk of losing custody of 
their children, being evicted from their home, or facing financial 
ruin. This is unjust, especially when there are many lawyers willing to 
volunteer their services for free. The Justice for Troops Act would 
solve this problem by connecting service men and women with pro bono 
lawyers. It would do so by authorizing the Department of Defense, DoD, 
to use up to $500,000 of funds already appropriated for operation and 
maintenance to support programs that make these connections and ensure 
that our troops have access to the legal representation they need.
  All branches of the military provide our service men and women with 
basic legal services on-base through legal assistance officers, Judge 
Advocate Generals, JAGs, but they generally cannot represent service 
members in court or provide legal assistance in other parts of the 
country. When troops encounter legal problems that JAGs are not able to 
handle, they are left on their own to find a lawyer. This burden can 
arise if a service member is stationed in one state, but his or her 
home, family, or bank accounts are located in another. On-base JAG 
officers are unable to help with bankruptcy, child support issues, and 
other legal challenges that arise in a different state. As the number 
of deployed troops has increased since 2001, the gap between their 
legal needs and the offerings of JAG offices has widened. In some 
cases, JAG officers have referred troops who cannot afford a lawyer to 
programs that connect them with pro bono lawyers. Other cases have been 
left unresolved, to the detriment of our troops, their families, and 
the readiness of our armed forces.
  Today, there are limited services available to help troops with legal 
problems that cannot be handled by JAGs, but they are unable to fully 
meet the growing need. Some law

[[Page S3439]]

school clinics, state bar associations, and the American Bar 
Association's Military Pro Bono Project connect active-duty military 
personnel and their families to free legal assistance beyond what 
military legal offices can offer. They maintain lists of attorneys who 
are willing to provide their services free of charge to service members 
and, in conjunction with the DoD, reach out to on-base JAG offices to 
encourage them to refer troops to their programs.
  Unfortunately, these programs have a long way to go to meet the 
increasing demand for their pro bono legal services, and too many 
troops still go without legal help. Furthermore, existing programs are 
limited in their ability to connect troops with pro bono lawyers 
because funding to support them is scarce. With access to only 
$500,000, pro bono projects would be able to build more connections, 
ensure that every JAG office knows how to refer service members to the 
programs, and grow their databases of pro bono lawyers. This small 
investment would be leveraged into providing free legal assistance to 
countless men and women who serve our country. We will no doubt enhance 
our military readiness by eliminating the stress and anxiety caused by 
legal problems.
  The Justice for Troops Act is supported by the Department of Defense, 
the Military Officers Association of America, the Southern Wisconsin 
Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, the National 
Military Family Association, the National Guard Association of the 
United States, the Wisconsin National Guard Association, the 
Association of the US Army, the Air Force Association, and the Gold 
Star Wives of America.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1106

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Justice for Troops Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS ON PRO 
                   BONO LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
                   FORCES.

       (a) Support Authorized.--The Secretary of Defense may 
     provide support to one or more public or private programs 
     designed to connect attorneys who provide pro bono legal 
     assistance with members of the Armed Forces who are in need 
     of such assistance.
       (b) Financial Support.--
       (1) In general.--The support provided a program under 
     subsection (a) may include financial support of the program.
       (2) Limitation on amount.--The total amount of financial 
     support provided under subsection (a) in any fiscal year may 
     not exceed $500,000.
       (3) Funding.--Amounts for financial support under this 
     section shall be derived from amounts authorized to be 
     appropriated for the Department of Defense for operation and 
     maintenance.
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