House Bill Proposal Would Slash LSC Funding by $104 Million (25% Reduction from Current Levels). Yikes!
By: Steve Grumm
Just got an email update from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. Bad, bad news:
House Appropriations Subcommittee Slashes LSC Funding
The House Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations subcommittee has posted its draft FY 2012 bill, which recommends a $104 million reduction for Legal Services Corporation funding. Markup is scheduled for tomorrow, July 7, and full committee markup is Wednesday, July 13.
The subcommittee’s recommendation is $300 million, a $104 million reduction from the FY 2011 funding level of $404.2 million. The entire cut comes from the basic field line, which is reduced by 27.5 percent – from $378 million to $274 million.
….
The message does close with some slightly reassuring news:
The Senate subcommittee has not drafted its bill yet. We expect the White House to strongly defend its request of $450 million, and we are hopeful that LSC will get an increase over FY 2011 funding. The Senate is unlikely to act before the August recess. If last year is any barometer of the FY 2012 process, we may well see a number of continuing resolutions throughout the fall.
