[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 118 (Friday, July 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2014

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago today President Nixon signed 
the law creating the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) as a private, 
nonprofit corporation to support civil legal aid organizations all 
across the country. Since that time LSC has become a critical and 
integral vehicle through which federal funds are distributed to 134 
local legal aid programs, with nearly 800 offices serving every 
congressional district.
   LSC is tasked by Congress to ensure equal access to justice for 
those Americans who otherwise would be unable to afford to enforce 
their rights through our legal system. It serves people with the most 
critical legal needs--food, shelter, medical care, income maintenance, 
and physical safety. It makes a real difference for low-income and 
elderly Oregonians and Americans.
   I was proud to work at legal aid early in my career and I'll never 
forget the people I was able to help. They desperately needed an 
attorney when they could little afford one. I want to emphasize that 
they were not low income by choice--most had unexpected medical bills, 
had lost a job, or lost a spouse.
   Unfortunately, Congress is not living up to its obligation. LSC-
funded attorneys still turn away more than 50 percent of eligible 
clients because of a lack of resources. It is unacceptable to leave 
people out on their own to navigate a complicated and already strained 
legal system, or else suffer continued injustice. We must do better.
   I congratulate LSC on its 40th anniversary, and commend all the hard 
working legal aid attorneys and staff who get so little recognition for 
such important work.

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