Tom Harkin: “I have problems with where we are taking it from. That is my basic problem, because all of the data and all of the…”

“I have problems with where we are taking it from. That is my basic problem, because all of the data and all of the testimony tells us that Legal Services are helping the very people we are talking about, especially women who are victims of domestic violence. Because, a lot of times, Legal Services attorneys are handling family law matters. But before they get to the prosecutorial level, for example, there are things that can be worked out. Individuals have a lawyer--for example, domestic violence restraining orders, separation agreements, or child custody arrangements, those types of things, which are civil matters. U.S. attorneys do not handle that. That is what Legal Services does. The incidence of violence toward Native American women is tragic. As the Senator from South Dakota pointed out in his presentation earlier, he said Native American women are seven times more likely to be victims of domestic violence than other women. But, again, it is precisely these citizens whom Legal Services Corporation-funded programs assist. Three out of four clients of Legal Services are women--three out of four.”