John Thune: “Last year the Legal Services Corporation was funded at $348 million. This year the administration's budget proposed a…”

“Last year the Legal Services Corporation was funded at $348 million. This year the administration's budget proposed a funding level of $311 million. The base bill under consideration today funds the Legal Services Corporation at $390 million, which would be a 12-percent increase over the appropriated level in fiscal year 2007. What my amendment does is simply takes $20 million out of that increase. It still increases the Legal Services Corporation by 6.3 percent over fiscal year 2007 but takes $20 million of that proposed increase for the Legal Services Corporation and applies it to fighting violent crime on America's Indian reservations by increasing funding for our U.S. attorneys so they can prosecute crimes committed on Indian reservations. Around the country, 56 percent of crimes that are brought to U.S. Attorney's Offices end up being prosecuted. On Indian reservations that number is 30 percent. People on Indian reservations should not have to live in fear. Public safety is something for which we have responsibility. It is important we do something to address that. This amendment will move money toward fighting crime on Indian reservations to make it safer for people who live there.”