Tom Harkin: “I have an amendment to this bill that I will be offering shortly along with Senator Smith of Oregon, my cosponsor, and…”

“I have an amendment to this bill that I will be offering shortly along with Senator Smith of Oregon, my cosponsor, and cosponsored by Senators Bingaman, Wyden, Feingold, and Kennedy. This amendment will increase the amount of money going to legal aid programs across the country from $324.5 million to $358.5 million. Again, this amendment will throw a lifeline of legal services assistance to people in need. I point out that this is $4 million less than what the Legal Services Corporation requested in their budget earlier this year. The reason it is slightly less is because we had to do that to get the proper offset for the amendment. Forty-five Members of the Senate, on a strong bipartisan basis, sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member earlier this year seeking the full funding for legal services, which was $362.5 million. As I said, this amendment is $4 million less than what 45 Members of the Senate, on a bipartisan basis, requested earlier this year. I also point out that 25 percent of the increase goes specifically to those programs providing assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Even before the devastation and displacement of Katrina, this increase was sorely needed. That is because today, as I stand here, 50 percent of the people eligible for legal services in America are being turned away because the programs simply are underfunded. Keep in mind, to even be eligible for legal services, one must be below 125 percent poverty.…”