Tom Harkin: “this does not just go to Legal Services representing poor people. This goes to protection and advocacy groups…”

“this does not just go to Legal Services representing poor people. This goes to protection and advocacy groups representing disabled citizens of the United States. Many times, Legal Services entities in our States provide funds to protection and advocacy groups which we have set up under the law. These are legal entities set up to represent and to help people with disabilities to get through administrative procedures and legal proceedings. If you read the amendment of the Senator from Texas, it says that no legal aid organization, or other entity--other entity--so protection and advocacy groups for the disabled would be cut out. If you look at the last paragraph, defined is ``legal proceeding.'' In a court of the United States, court of the State, in an administrative hearing, in a Federal or State act. You might as well tell every disabled person in this country that they have no right to go into a court or no right to go into an administrative hearing to challenge the validity of a State regulation. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the Senator from Texas would want to pick on the most vulnerable in our society. Forget just about Legal Services. Focus on the disabled. This is going to cut every disabled person in this country of low-income means. Obviously, if you have the money, if you have the money, you can hire any lawyer you want.”