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It’s easy to ask your senator to support civil legal aid!
Last Tuesday, May 10, the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways & Means released their proposed FY23 budget, including an increase of $5 million in state funding for civil legal aid through the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC). We are thankful for the committee’s attention to the issue of access to justice, especially in the face of a rising need for civil legal aid across Massachusetts. Legal aid organizations need additional funding to provide services to more eligible low-income residents, many of whom have experienced harm to their health, safety, and financial stability due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While funding increases in the last five years have enabled organizations to turn away fewer eligible people who seek assistance, they are still forced to turn away the majority of those who seek legal aid. People with an income at or below 125% of the federal poverty line —$34,688/year for a family of four—are eligible for civil legal aid.
Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem and Judiciary Chair James Eldridge have introduced an amendment to increase state funding for civil legal aid funding by $1 million, for a total of $41 million in the Senate budget.
Please contact your senator today using the form below and ask them to: 1) co-sponsor the MLAC Amendment (No. 900) filed by Majority Leader Creem and Chair Eldridge; and 2) directly communicate their support for the amendment to Senate President Karen Spilka and Senate Ways & Means Chair Michael Rodrigues.
We’ve provided a sample message for you. Feel free to add your personal touch, then sign your name and click submit. It only takes a few minutes, and it goes a long way toward helping low-income residents gain equal access to legal representation when facing life-changing civil legal matters.
Want to learn more? Read the FY23 Budget Fact Sheet.
We've prepared a message to your senator! Review it below:
Feel free to add your personal touch, then scroll to the bottom and hit Send Email
Thank you for your interest in supporting civil legal aid. This advocacy is for residents of Massachusetts. If you believe there has been an error, or if you would like to learn about more ways to support civil legal aid in Massachusetts, please see our contact information below or visit the Equal Justice Coalition website.
Thank You