AG Schwalb Leads Bipartisan Effort by 37 Attorneys General Urging Congress to Robustly Fund Legal Services Corporation

Coalition Highlights Vital Role of LSC in Delivering Civil Legal Assistance to Residents Most in Need Across All U.S. States and Territories  

WASHINGTON, DC – Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today joined AGs Gentner (OK), Campbell (MA), and Skrmetti (TN) in co-sponsoring a letter appeal by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) urging leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to allocate robust funding for the nonprofit Legal Services Corporation (LSC) in the FY2024 budget. LSC supports equal access to justice by awarding grants to nonprofit organizations that provide civil legal services to those in need and serves as the nation’s single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income residents. The letter highlights the critical work performed by LSC’s grantees across all states and territories of our nation.  

“Basic civil legal services are critical for everyone, but especially those who face economic or other barriers to adequate legal counsel,” said AG Schwalb. “As the nation’s single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income District resident’s and people across the country, the impact of LSC’s work cannot be overstated. Today’s coalition is strongly bi-partisan, and we urge Congress to robustly fund LSC in the upcoming fiscal year.” 

The broad bipartisan appeal to Congress by 37 attorneys general coalesces support around access to basic civil legal services for those who face economic or other barriers to adequate legal counsel. LSC-funded programs assist those whose household incomes fall at or below 125% of federal poverty guidelines; and are an essential component of comprehensive relief in communities ravaged by natural disasters. Seventy percent of clients served by LSC grantees are women struggling to keep their children safe and their families intact.  

The letter transmitted by NAAG was signed by the Attorneys General of the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alaska, American Samoa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.  

Read more about the scope and reach of LSC’s work.