Continuing work on areas of broad agreement, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent Letters to the House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders on behalf of a bipartisan coalition of 40 state and territory attorneys general expressing strong support for continued federal funding in Fiscal Year 2026 to the congressionally-created Legal Services Corporation (LSC) through the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Congress established the LSC in 1974, stating “providing legal assistance to those who face an economic barrier to adequate legal counsel will serve best the ends of justice and assist in improving opportunities for low-income persons.”
LSC funding supports access to the legal system for individuals who may otherwise not have access to legal assistance – including veterans, rural residents, domestic violence victims, low income individuals and others – through a network of independent legal aid organizations.
The Letter notes that LSC has been an effective steward of its federal investment, stating that the organization distributes 95 percent of its funding directly to legal aid organizations and that continued funding is critical to protecting equal justice under the law.
LSC operates a network of 130 independent legal aid organizations in over 900 offices in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
The letters were sponsored by Attorneys General for: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.