[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 105 (Friday, June 21, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE VETERANS LEGAL SUPPORT ACT OF 2024

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 21, 2024

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Veterans Legal 
Support Act of 2024, 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 foreclosures. There are at least 
22 law schools that have clinics devoted to veterans' legal needs, 
including the William & Mary Law School Veterans Benefits Clinic, which 
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 at the Georgetown University Law Center and 
continued to teach a seminar there 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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