[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           35TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, Saturday, July 25, marks the 35th 
anniversary of the Legal Services Corporation, LSC. In 1974, Congress--
with bipartisan support, including that of President Nixon--established 
LSC to be a major source of funding for civil legal aid in this 
country. LSC is a private, nonprofit corporation, funded by Congress, 
with the mission to ensure equal access to justice under law for all 
Americans by providing civil legal assistance to those who otherwise 
would be unable to afford it. LSC distributes 95 percent of its annual 
Federal appropriations to 137 local legal aid programs, with more than 
900 offices serving all 50 states and every congressional district.
  LSC and LSC funded programs make a crucial difference to millions of 
Americans. In fact, LSC-funded programs close nearly 1 million cases 
per year and provide other assistance to more than 5 million people.
  Recipients of LSC funding help clients secure basic human needs, such 
as access to wrongly denied benefits including Social Security, 
pensions and needed health care. Families of 9-11 victims, flood 
victims, and hurricane evacuees have received crucial legal assistance 
in obtaining permanent housing, unemployment compensation and 
government benefits. Further, members of our Armed Forces and their 
families receive help with estate planning, consumer and landlord/
tenant problems and family law.
  It is LSC-funded attorneys who help parents obtain and keep custody 
of their children, help family members obtain guardianship for children 
without parents, assist parents in enforcing child support payments and 
help women who are victims of domestic violence. In fact, three out of 
four legal aid clients are women, and legal aid programs identify 
domestic violence as one of their top priorities.
  I know firsthand the important work of the Legal Services 
Corporation. Before I was elected to Congress, I worked as a legal aid 
attorney in Polk County, IA. I experienced the challenges--and also the 
rewards--of representing people who otherwise would not have the legal 
assistance they deserve. And I developed a deep appreciation for the 
role that legal aid attorneys play within our system of justice.
  The fact is, our promise of ``equal justice under law'' rings hollow 
if those who are most vulnerable are denied access to quality legal 
representation. As former Justice Lewis Powell said: ``Equal justice 
under law is not merely a caption on the facade of the Supreme Court 
building. It is perhaps the most inspiring ideal of our society . . . 
it is fundamental that justice should be the same, in substance and 
availability, without regard to economic status.''
  Given the vital role played by LSC-funded attorneys, it is disturbing 
to note that, this year, more than 50 percent of eligible clients who 
seek assistance will be turned away because of lack of LSC program 
resources. With unemployment nearly 10 percent, and with poor Americans 
struggling to keep their jobs, cars and basic necessities, the need for 
legal aid attorneys has never been greater, yet funding for LSC remains 
inadequate. This is something Congress needs to address and I look 
forward in the coming months and years to doing so.
  On this anniversary, I salute the Legal Services Corporation and LSC-
funded attorneys for the vital work they do every day on behalf of 
Americans who need qualified counsel. Every day that a legal aid 
attorney protects the safety, security and health of our most 
vulnerable citizens, they bring this nation closer to living up to its 
commitment to equal justice for all.

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