MLAC urges Governor Baker to approve Conference Committee FY23 Budget

Governor Baker has 10 days to sign or veto budget

BOSTON, July 20, 2022 – The FY23 Budget Conference Committee released its FY23 Budget Report on July 17 that includes $41 million for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, line item 0321-1600, which is the amount requested by MLAC to fund civil legal aid organizations across the state. Governor Baker has 10 days following the release of the Conference Committee Budget to sign or veto portions of the final version.  

“We are enormously grateful that the House of Representatives and the Senate included $41 million in the FY23 Budget, a $6 million increase for civil legal aid. We urge Governor Baker to approve this MLAC funding when he signs the budget,” said Lynne Parker, executive director of MLAC. “The $41 million for civil legal aid is what MLAC requested and is supported by the House and Senate. This increase will go a long way toward ensuring that more low-income residents have access to legal information, advice, and representation on civil matters as they face continuing hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Parker noted that the areas of unemployment compensation, housing, income supports and education saw a sharp increase in demand for legal services during the pandemic. People with an income at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty line—$34,688 for a family of four in 2022—are eligible for this civil legal aid.

Parker thanked the six-person Conference Committee, as well as House and Senate leadership, for their efforts to increase access to justice. “Civil legal aid is an essential service that protects the lives and livelihoods of so many in our Commonwealth. With an additional $6 million in FY23, legal aid organizations will be able to improve their organizational capacity to respond to emerging legal needs of our residents and upgrade necessary technology for clients and staff. We are now counting on Governor Baker to support this increase when he signs the FY23 Budget.”

Parker recognized the Equal Justice Coalition for its ongoing advocacy for civil legal aid, including the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association, managing partners of many of the state’s largest law firms, corporate in-house counsel, law schools, and advocates with social services organizations across the Commonwealth.