The announcement yesterday from the Governor’s Budget Office that funding to civil legal aid is being cut by 10% is devastating news. Because the immediate cut occurs half way into the fiscal year, spending of state funds for the remainder of the fiscal year will now have to be cut by 20%. This comes on the heels of a 10% cut in state funding in the budget approved July 1, it comes on the heels of a 15% cut in federal funding to legal aid, and it comes on the heels of the loss of some other sources of one-time funding this fiscal year. Programs serving low income clients in vital issues such as obtaining a protection from abuse order, defending foreclosures of homes, protecting children through custody orders, and obtaining vital health care benefits will now have to cut back further in their staffing and the services they can provide. Programs of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network already cut staffing at the beginning of this fiscal year by 10% and of course, this meant a cut in services to clients. These programs are already implementing further staffing cuts due to a 15% reduction in federal Legal Services Corporation funding, and now these programs will have to cut back further. This means the loss of jobs and it means the cutting back of vital services to clients. Even before these cuts, legal aid programs were having to turn away one applicant for help, who was eligible for services, for each person the program could represent. Access to justice has taken a step backward.

When a state revenue shortfall prompted the need to freeze some spending, the Budget Office announced January 4 an overall .8% cut in spending. Within DPW, the cut was .5%. Funding to legal aid was cut not by some minor, proportional amount, by a full 10%. We are extremely concerned and disappointed.