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Legislative plan to boost funding for Texas legal aid revealed
A plan to address ongoing funding shortfalls in Texas' legal aid system was announced Wednesday at the Capitol. Lawmakers joined representatives from the legal services in calling for the Legislature to restore general revenue funding for legal aid to the 2012-13 budget level of $17.5 million. Meanwhile, two bills have been filed to raise the cap on the amount of money raised through civil penalties and civil restitution that can be dedicated to legal aid for indigent Texans. More »
Stabbing Victim Margarita Sanchez Credits Legal Aid with Saving Her Life at Austin Press Conference Today
Margarita Sanchez stood at the front of the room at the Capitol, quiet and small, talking about the moment she woke up in a hospital with nowhere to turn. Sanchez's husband had stabbed her, the last in a long line of humiliations that ranged from forcing her to quit her job to killing her dog to attacking her more than once with a knife. The last thing Sanchez remembered after her husband stabbed her, before she lost consciousness, was him waving divorce papers at her. More »
Lawmakers and Judge Push for Legal Aid Funding
Funding for civil legal aid has dried up over the last few years, and a group of lawyers and lawmakers including Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht are calling for a new source of revenue. They want the Legislature to approve an extra $40 million in funding from the state attorney general's office, which would be given to legal services groups that help indigent individuals who cannot afford a lawyer for their divorces, foreclosures or other legal issues. More »
Court's ruling on divorce forms stokes legal debate
There are almost 6 million people who qualify for legal aid in Texas. Legal aid organizations and pro bono providers (private lawyers who work for no charge) are only able to help 1 out of 5 of those who qualify and need legal help. Due to diminishing federal and state funding, even fewer poor will be helped in the future. More »
