North Baltimore Journal

BALTIMORE  – In a letter appeal by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined a coalition 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 Americans. The letter highlights the tireless on-the-ground legal assistance LSC provides to veterans, seniors, children, renters, victims of violence, struggling farmers, individuals battling addiction, and those affected by natural disasters. The LSC’s grantees perform this critical work across all states and territories of our nation. 

“A more just, fair and equitable Maryland demands that the legal needs of all citizens are met, regardless of their circumstances,” asserted Attorney General Brown. “The profound impact of LSC's work, particularly in communities experiencing alarming poverty rates, cannot be overstated. The fact that seventy percent of clients served by LSC grantees are women struggling to keep their children safe and their families intact strikes me to the core. The persistent underfunding of vital resources leaves them among the millions of Americans without the support they urgently require. It is my unwavering commitment to fight for adequate funding, ensuring that the powerful impact of LSC's work extends to every corner of our great state.” 

The broad bipartisan appeal to Congress by 37 Attorneys General coalesces support around access to basic civil legal services for those Americans 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. 

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

Original source can be found here.