[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 148 (Thursday, September 29, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 613--RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF NORTH 
        MISSISSIPPI RURAL LEGAL SERVICES IN OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI

  Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mr. Cochran, and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 613

       Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services, originally 
     called Lafayette County Legal Aid, was organized in 1966 as a 
     training program for law students at the University of 
     Mississippi School of Law;
       Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services was 
     organized to combine the provision of legal services with a 
     teaching program to develop a law school curriculum with a 
     focus on the legal problems of low-income individuals, and 
     North Mississippi Rural Legal Services was subsequently 
     incorporated as an independent nonprofit corporation, 
     receiving funds from the National Legal Services Corporation;
       Whereas the mission of North Mississippi Rural Legal 
     Services is to provide high-quality attorney representation 
     and advocacy to ensure equal access to justice for vulnerable 
     members of society through constant training, self-analysis, 
     and community involvement;
       Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services provides the 
     highest quality of legal and technical assistance, which 
     improves the daily quality of life for low-income individuals 
     and contributes to the attainment of social, economic, and 
     legal equality;
       Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services is governed 
     by a 25-member board of directors appointed by the 
     Mississippi Bar, the Magnolia Bar, and local advisory 
     committees;
       Whereas North Mississippi Rural Legal Services has 
     administrative offices in Oxford, Mississippi, and offices in 
     Clarksdale, Greenville, and West Point, Mississippi, all of 
     which strive daily to meet the unmet civil legal needs of 
     low-income Mississippians;
       Whereas there are more than 250,000 low-income individuals 
     in the 39-county service area of North Mississippi Rural 
     Legal Services, which, as of 2015, has served more than 
     17,000 Mississippians, providing access to the legal system 
     that might otherwise be unavailable to those individuals due 
     to their economic situation;
       Whereas over the last 50 years, North Mississippi Rural 
     Legal Services has partnered with various funders, attorneys, 
     friends, and corporate and individual supporters to provide 
     thousands of low-income clients with habitable and affordable 
     housing, safety, healthcare, economic security, and financial 
     independence while ensuring that each client maintains 
     inherent human dignity;
       Whereas 50 years ago, the journey began to provide high-
     quality legal representation to low-income Mississippians to 
     ensure equal access to the courts of the State of 
     Mississippi;
       Whereas in 2016, North Mississippi Rural Legal Services 
     continues the quest for justice to serve individuals and 
     families regardless of race, age, gender, and ethnicity; and
       Whereas the partnership between North Mississippi Rural 
     Legal Services and the University of Mississippi School of 
     Law continues the work of educating law students to increase 
     the number of attorneys in the State of Mississippi who are 
     sensitive to the needs of low-income individuals and 
     knowledgeable in the areas of the law that affect those 
     individuals: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes and commends outstanding acts of public 
     service like those of North Mississippi Rural Legal Services;
       (2) with great pride, joins in paying tribute to North 
     Mississippi Rural Legal Services, a most effective and 
     public-spirited organization, the advocacy of which on behalf 
     of less fortunate Mississippians is a matter of record; and
       (3) recognizes the 50th anniversary of North Mississippi 
     Rural Legal Services in Oxford, Mississippi.

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