Legal Services Corporation Statement on the Passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Washington,
DC — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) will be remembered at the Legal
Services Corporation (LSC) and at civil legal aid organizations throughout
the nation as a champion for equal access to justice, Legal Services Corporation President
Helaine M. Barnett said today.

"Senator Kennedy's longtime support for LSC was invaluable and
consequential for the clients and communities that are served by
LSC-funded legal aid attorneys every day," LSC President Barnett said.
"In addition to civil legal assistance, his extraordinary career in
public service focused on legislation and issues of utmost importance
to the poor — employment, health care and education."

Senator Kennedy was chairman of the Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions at the time of his death. The committee
oversees LSC and approves nominees for the Corporation's Board of
Directors.

During congressional debates in 1973 and 1974 on the creation of
LSC, Senator Kennedy was a key leader, working with Senate colleagues
and the White House to build a broad base of support for civil legal
services and for approval of the law that established the Corporation.

In May, Senator Kennedy called for increasing the LSC budget to at
least $435 million in Fiscal Year 2010, up from $390 million. He was
the lead sponsor of a letter to Senate appropriators that was signed by
52 other senators. In March, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced a bill
to reauthorize LSC and Senator Kennedy joined as a cosponsor. "In these
difficult times, effective legal assistance for American families
struggling to make ends meet is more important than ever," Senator
Kennedy said, adding that "we all benefit when the rule of law works
for everyone."

LSC is the single largest funder of civil legal assistance for the
poor in the nation. Established by Congress in 1974, LSC operates as a
private, nonprofit organization to promote equal access to justice and
to ensure the provision of high-quality legal assistance to low-income
Americans. Legal Services NYC is the LSC's New York City grantee.

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