Jon S. Corzine: “I want to address a troubling provision in the Criminal-Justice-State, CJS, Appropriations bill, contained in the…”

“I want to address a troubling provision in the Criminal-Justice-State, CJS, Appropriations bill, contained in the omnibus, that applies to any nonprofit legal services organization receiving funding from the Legal Services Commission, (LSC). This ``private money restriction'' precludes these nonprofits from using any of their private funds--including individual donations, foundation grants, and State and local government funds--for any non-LSC-qualified services. The private money restriction places an unfair and costly burden on private and other non-Federal funds dedicated to helping families in need. As a result of the private money restriction, most civil legal services providers are forced to stop providing non-LSC-qualified services altogether. Many of the most vulnerable individuals and families--such as certain legal immigrants, including some battered women and children, mothers in prison trying to maintain visitation and custody of their children, and elderly homeowners seeking to file class actions to protect themselves from predatory lenders--find themselves without access to legal services at all.”