NLADA monitors legislation relating to LSC funding, VAWA and loan repayment assistance. Learn more about the status of the bills we are monitoring below.

For updated information on the LSC appropriations process, including the fiscal year budget requests from NLADA, the ABA and LSC, please go to the Federal Budget section below.

If you would like to learn more about other pending legislation, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/.

Senate includes Civil Legal Aid Loan Repayment Bill in Higher Education Act

On July 23, the Senate agreed by voice vote to an amendment offered by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) to include a civil loan repayment plan in the John R. Justice bill (S.442) introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). The amendment contained language identical in terms to that in a bill introduced by Senator Harkin (S.1167) earlier in the session. The Durbin bill would authorize the provision of loan repayment assistance to prosecutors and public defenders.

The Durbin bill, with the Cardin/Harkin amendment, was included as part of the Higher Education Amendments Act of 2007 (S. 1642), which was unanimously passed by the Senate on July 24.

The civil repayment bill authorizes up to $10,000,000 for aid to "civil legal assistance" attorneys. Participants can receive up to $6,000 per year up to a total amount of $40,000 per participant. Under the bill, the Department of Education would be the agency administering the program.

Attention now turns to the House process to insure the inclusion of similar authorizing language for civil legal assistance attorneys. Additional efforts will be necessary to ensure that funds are appropriated to this program once it is authorized.

Federal Budget

On July 26, the House of Representatives passed HR 3093, the bill funding the departments of Commerce, Justice and Science, along with numerous Related Agencies. Among them is the Legal Services Corporation, which received $377 million, an increase of $28 million over funds received in FY 2007 and $66 million over the President's FY 2008 recommendation.

In June the full Senate appropriations committee approved a $42 million dollar increase for the Legal Services Corporation for FY 2008, bringing the total appropriation to $390 million. This bill (S. 1745) is not expected to come to the Senate floor for a vote until late September.

The White House has issued a veto threat to the House bill, stating that it exceeded the President’s proposal by $2.3 billion, "…an irresponsible and excessive level of funding."

NLADA sent a letter signed by 42 general counsel of major corporations to members of Congress prior to the mark-up of the appropriations bills. To view the letter, please click here.

NLADA Recommendations for FY 2008 Budget Mark for LSC (pdf, 123 Kb)

LSC FY 2008 Budget Request (pdf, 587 Kb)

ABA legislative work on adequate funding for LSC

To learn more about the LSC budget requst process and NLADA's role in it, please go to the LSC page.

Documents linked from this page are in the PDF format and require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view or print them. Click to download the Acrobat Reader software.