Legal Services/Legal Education

Letters & Testimony

The ABA frequently corresponds with Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and other governmental bodies and testifies before Congress on matters of importance to the administration of justice and the legal profession.

116th Congress

9/8/20
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
ABA Letter to FEMA to Implement the Disaster Legal Services (DLS) Program

4/9/20
House and Senate Appropriations Committees
ABA Thanks Congress for Emergency LSC Funding, Requests Additional LSC Funding to Address COVID-19 Pandemic

3/19/20
House and Senate Appropriations Committees
ABA Urges Congress to Include Supplemental Emergency LSC Funding in Stimulus Bill 

4/9/19
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA Testifies in Support of LSC funding

4/4/19
House Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA Testifies in Support of LSC funding

4/3/19
Senate HELP Committee
ABA Letter regarding LSC Board Nominees

115th Congress

9/18/18
House POWER Act Cosponsors
ABA Applauds Passage of POWER Act

9/18/18
Senate POWER Act Cosponsors
ABA Applauds Passage of POWER Act

9/11/18
Senate HELP Committee
ABA Letter regarding LSC Board Nominees

6/12/18
House
ABA Letter in Opposition to H.R. 4508, the PROSPER Act

5/23/18
Senate Appropriations Committee
ABA Testifies in Support of LSC Funding

4/27/18
House Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA Testifies in Support of LSC funding

3/12/18
Attorney General Jeff Sessions
ABA Supports Preserving Access to Justice Mission at Department of Justice

2/23/18
Senate HELP Committee
ABA Letter on Higher Education Policy

7/20/17
House Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA Letter Thanking Chairmain Culberson for Comments on LSC During Full Committee Markup on CJS FY2018

5/12/17
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA Testifies in Support of LSC Funding

4/27/17
House Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA Testifies in Support of LSC Funding

114th Congress

8/5/16
Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo
ABA Urges Governor of New York to Sign Public Defense Funding Legislation

3/28/16
House Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA testimony on LSC funding

3/23/16
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA testimony on LSC funding

4/14/15
House Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA testimony on LSC funding

3/27/15
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
ABA testimony on LSC funding

113^th Congress

9/10/14
Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
ABA Supports S. 2698

6/20/14
Legal Services Corporation
ABA Urges Legal Services Corporation to Preserve Client Confidentiality

5/28/13
U.S. Department of Labor 
ABA Letter Regarding Intern Pro Bono Work 

2/27/13
Representative Frank Wolfe
ABA Letter to Representative Frank Wolfe on Pro Bono

2/27/13
House
ABA Testimony to Members of the House Appropriations Committee Regarding Legal Services Corportation

2/27/13
House
ABA Letter to Members of the House Regarding VAWA Reauthorization

1/30/13
Senate
ABA Letter to Senators Leahy and Crapo Supporting the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013

1/30/13
House
ABA Letter to Representatives Conyers and Moore Supporting the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013

112^th Congress

5/8/12
House
ABA Letter Opposing H.R. 4970, Rep. Adams’ VAWA Reauthorization Bill

5/7/12
House
ABA Letter Opposing H.R. 4970, Rep. Adams’ VAWA Reauthorization Bill

4/26/12
Senate
ABA Urges Support of S. 1925, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011

1/31/12
Senate
ABA Letter Urging Prompt Approval of S. 1925, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011

11/30/11
Senate
ABA Commends Senators Leahy and Crapo for their Introduction of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Bill

7/7/11
House Appropriations Committee
ABA requests the Chairman of the Committee to restore current funding levels for the LSC

3/11/11
House
Written testimony of ABA President Stephen N. Zack on LSC funding for fiscal year 2012.

2/10/11
House
ABA Expresses its Concerns Regarding Recently Announced Reductions in Funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).

9/6/12
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr (California)
ABA Letter Urging Governor Brown to Sign California Legislation to Provide Accommodations for Disabled Test-takers

3/1/12
House
ABA Letter Supporting Appropriate Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities

3/1/12
Attorney General
ABA Letter Supporting Appropriate Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities

10/20/11
Senator Barbara Boxer
ABA Letter Responding to Senator Boxer on Law School Accreditation Questions

9/12/11
Department of Education
ABA Submits Technical Comments to the Department of Education

8/29/11
Senator Charles Grassley
ABA Letter Responding to Senator Grassley on Law Student Loans and Economic Prospects for Future Law School Graduates

7/28/11
Senator Barbara Boxer
ABA Letter Responding to Senator Boxer on Law School Merit Scholarships

7/20/11
Senator Charles Grassley
ABA letter and detailed memo to Senator Grassley regarding the law school accredititation process and other issues facing law students.

6/13/11
Department of Education
ABA submits a letter to the Department of Education providing technical comments on the Department’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness form

4/27/11
Senator Barbara Boxer
Letter and memo to Senator Boxer on Law School Graduation Data

1/12/11
Attorney General
Letter Requesting Funding for the John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program

111^th Congress

12/3/10
DC City Council
ABA Urges Support for DC Access to Justice Program

8/2/10
Senate
Letter evaluating LSC Board Nominees (Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions)

7/20/10
Senate
ABA Urges Senate Appropriations CJS Subcommittee to Increase LSC funding and Remove Class Action Restriction

7/20/10
House
ABA Thanks Cong. Mollohan and Wolf for House CJS Appropriations Subcommittee action re LSC

1/11/10
Senate
ABA Expresses its Strong Support for Several Important Provisions Found in H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3590.

1/11/10
House
ABA Expresses its Strong Support for Several Important Provisions Found in H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3590.

10/27/09
House
Testimony of H. Thomas Wells, Jr. on behalf of the ABA concerning LSC before the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law

10/8/09
Senate
ABA Recommendations for August 2009 LSC Board of Directors Nominations

6/3/09
Senate
Letter requesting the Senate to match the House-approved funding level of $440 million for the Legal Services Corporation’s FY 2010 funding (Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce Justice, Science, and Related Agencies)

6/9/09
Senate
Letter supporting Laurie Mikva’s nomination to LSC Board of Directors

6/3/09
House
Letter requesting an increase in the Legal Services Corporation’s FY 2010 funding to at least $435 (House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce Justice, Science, and Related Agencies)

3/6/09
OMB
Letter supporting FY 2010 funding for the Legal Services Corporation (Office of Management and Budget)

2/5/09
Senate
Letter urging support of Casey/Specter Amendment to provide legal assistance to victims of foreclosure

11/13/08
FDIC
Comments from ABA President regarding the inclusion of IOLTA in the full insurance coverage available under the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP)

110^th Congress

6/17/08
Senate
Letter from ABA President urging the Senate Subcommittee to Increase Funding for the Legal Services Corporation

6/11/08
House
Letter from ABA President urging the House Subcommittee to Increase Funding for the Legal Services Corporation

5/29/08
Senate
Letter from Tom Susman providing additional information regarding the testimony on “Closing the Justice Gap: Providing Civil Legal Assistance to Low-Income American”

5/22/08
Senate
Written statement on the “Closing the Justice Gap: Providing Civil Legal Assistance to Low-Income American”

5/15/08
House
Letter supporting the Reinstatement of Section 120, Group Legal Services

10/16/07
Senate
Letter opposing the reduction of FY 2008 funding for the Legal Services Corporation

6/22/07
Senate
Letter urging increased FY 2008 funding for the Legal Services Corporation (Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations)

6/7/07
House
Letter urging increased FY 2008 funding for the Legal Services Corporation (Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations)

6/7/07
Senate
Letter supporting several provisions of the Higher Education Act (Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions)

4/24/07
House
Letter supporting the John R. Justice Procecutor and Defender Incentive Act (Committee on the Judiciary)

3/5/07
Senate
Letter supporting the John R. Justice Procecutor and Defender Incentive Act (Committee on the Judiciary)

1/25/07
House
Letter supporting continued FY07 funding for the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program (Committee on Appropriations)

1/25/07
Senate
Letter supporting continued FY07 funding for the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program (Committee on Appropriations)

109^th Congress

7/6/06
Senate
Letter requesting increased LSC Funding FY 07 (Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, Committee on Appropriations)

6/26/06
House
Letter urging support for Obey floor amendment

6/19/06
House
Letter urging support for Obey Amendment to increase LSC funding by $25 million (Committee on Appropriations)

6/12/06
House
Letter urging LSC funding at $411 million for FY07, the amount requested by bipartisan LSC Board of Directors (Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, Committee on Appropriations)

9/7/05
Senate
Letter supporting Harkin-Smith floor amendment to H.R. 2862 to increase LSC funding, sent to Senators who supported LSC funding in June ‘05

6/22/05
Senate
Letter urging support of full LSC funding or at the level of the funding increase of the Harkin Amendment (Committee on Appropriations)

6/20/05
Senate
Letter urging funding increase to $363.8 million (Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, Committee on Appropriations)

6/14/05
House
Letter urging ‘no’ vote on Stearns floor amendment to reduce LSC funding

5/23/05
House
Letter urging funding of LSC at the full level proposed by its board, $363.8 million (Subcommittee on Science, State, Justice, Commerce, Committee on Appropriations)

6/6/06
House
Letter supporting FY07 funding for the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program (Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agenices, Committee on Appropriations)

6/1/06
Senate
Letter supporting FY07 funding for the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program (Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agenices, Committee on Appropriations)

5/30/06
Senate
Written statement on FY07 funding for the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program (Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agenices, Committee on Appropriations)

5/4/05
Senate
Letter supporting the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions)

4/15/05
House
Written statement on FY07 funding for the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity Program (Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agenices, Committee on Appropriations)