LAAC is excited to share an important advocacy update relating to your funding.
On Thursday evening, June 8, the California Budget Conference Committee voted on a budget compromise that included an increase in funding for legal aid. They believe in the importance of your work. The compromise includes an additional $10 million in the Equal Access Fund for each of the next two years. That $10 million is in addition to the base $10 million of general fund support already in the Fund each year.
That means a total of $20 million in general funds each year!
The legislators also agreed to include an additional set-aside: 25% of all California state cy pres (class action residual fund) awards will go to the Equal Access Fund to distribute to legal aid programs, and another 25% will go to the Judicial Branch for expansions of collaborative courts and for the Shriver Pilot Projects. The remaining 50% can be distributed as it is now - to local legal aid programs, to other nonprofits, to universities - whatever is in the settlement agreements.
Note that the budget will not be final until it has the Governor's signature, but it appears that, based on the Governor's past actions, the compromise is not likely to be vetoed. We can celebrate now that we convinced the legislature to invest more in your work and celebrate again if (dare we say "when?") the Governor signs.
THANK YOU to everyone who made calls, sent letters, sent emails, or texted people you know in the Capitol. We couldn't have done this without you!
