[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E587-E588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE VETERANS LEGAL SUPPORT ACT OF 2022

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2022

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Veterans Legal 
Support Act of 2022, which would allow the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA) to provide support to law school clinical programs that 
provide pro bono legal and support services to veterans, including 
assistance with disability claims and appeals and foreclosures. There 
are already at least 22 law schools that have clinics devoted to 
veterans' legal needs, including the

[[Page E588]]

William & Mary Law School Veterans Benefits Clinic, which serves as a 
national model for this idea and was the first recipient of a ``best 
practice'' certification from the VA. There are many other law schools, 
such as the University of the District of Columbia's David A. Clarke 
School of Law, that are interested in starting their own VA-certified 
clinics. More needs to be done to sustain and increase the number of 
these programs.
  I was a tenured professor of law and continued to teach a seminar 
after being elected to Congress. I saw the expert assistance that 
clinical programs provide their clients.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, a concrete measure that 
would assist our veterans, who put their lives on the line for this 
country.

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