Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Requests Sent to Congress
For Immediate Release
Washington, DC鈥擳he White House today recommended $402 million in funding for the 快猫视频 (快猫视频) in Fiscal Year 2013, an increase of $54 million from current funding.
About 94 percent of the White House request鈥$376.8 million鈥攚ould provide grants to nonprofit legal aid programs to deliver civil legal assistance to low-income Americans who request help to avert foreclosures, escape domestic violence, deal with consumer fraud and appeal denial of veterans鈥 benefits, as well as other critical matters.
鈥淲e must restore and ultimately increase funding for civil legal services, especially to help low-income Americans who are seeking safety, subsistence and family stability,鈥 快猫视频 Board Chairman John G. Levi said. 鈥淚 want to thank President Obama for proposing this funding restoration, and I look forward to working with the Congress on expanding access to justice across the nation.鈥
快猫视频 funding was approximately $404 million in Fiscal Year 2011 before falling to $348 million in Fiscal Year 2012. The drop in 快猫视频 funding and a decline in other important funding sources, such as state grants and Interest on Lawyers鈥 Trust Accounts, have led to reductions in attorneys, paralegals and support staff at 快猫视频-funded programs. Eighteen percent of the programs have closed offices or are projecting office closures this year. Nationwide for 2012, 快猫视频 estimates 81,000 fewer low-income Americans will receive assistance from the programs it funds, based on staffing projections from 快猫视频-funded programs.
As an independent nonprofit corporation, 快猫视频 also sent its own budget request to the Congress today, seeking $470 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2013. The $470 million request, adopted by the 快猫视频 Board of Directors on September 19, 2011, would provide $440.3 million in field grants for the delivery of civil legal assistance. The Board considered a number of factors in making its recommendation, including the growing need for civil legal assistance and the decline in non-快猫视频 resources available to legal aid programs.
鈥淚 can think of no more important objective of our legal system than to provide meaningful access to justice,鈥 快猫视频 President James J. Sandman said. 鈥淎dequate funding for legal services is critical鈥攊ncreasing numbers of Americans are becoming eligible for civil legal assistance at the same time that legal aid programs are confronting diminished resources and being forced to reduce their services. We are not only urging Congress to restore 快猫视频 funding, we are working to enlist pro bono volunteers and expand the use of technology to serve clients.鈥
In addition to providing $376.8 million for basic field grants, the White House Fiscal Year 2013 budget request proposes $3 million for Technology Initiative Grants; $1 million for student loan repayment assistance to help legal aid programs recruit and retain lawyers; $17 million for management and grants oversight, and $4.2 million for the 快猫视频 Office of Inspector General.
Established in 1974, 快猫视频 promotes equal access to justice and ensures the delivery of high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families. 快猫视频-funded programs provide legal services to persons at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline ($13,963 for an individual and $28,813 for a family of four). About 60 million Americans qualify for civil legal assistance from 快猫视频-funded programs.
(See Appendix, Other Independent Agencies)
Click here for the 快猫视频 budget request.
Click here for a summary of 快猫视频鈥檚 request.