Legislature Tosses A Few Crumbs To The Poor

Since the Republicans took over the legislature and state government in Austin, the government has existed mainly to make sure the rich don't have to pay taxes, and the corporations aren't interfered with in their quest to suck every last penny out of the pockets of Texans. But an amazing thing happened this last legislative session -- they actually found a little money to help poor citizens.

There are a few legal aid organizations in Texas that exist solely to help the poor get legal services they could not otherwise afford. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Legal aid services depend on interest generated in lawyers’ trust accounts, a program known as IOLTA administered by the Access to Justice Foundation. Because interest rates have plummeted, proceeds are expected to drop to $1.5 million this year compared with $20 million in 2007."

The $18.5 million loss would have been devastating to Texas legal aid services. Even with that money, they would still come up short of what they actually need to operate effectively. The Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Wallace Jefferson, asked the legislature to provide $37 million for legal aid services. They didn't provide that much, but they did kick in a few million. With private donations and federal donations, it should be enough to keep the legal aid going for a while.

The legal aid group that serves this area of Texas is Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. It is based in Fort Worth and helps about 4,000 people annually in Tarrant County. It helps another 15,000 in an area stretching from McKinney to Amarillo to Midland. That's a huge area to be served by one organization.

The office was expecting to lose about $2.4 million in funding for the biennium, and were afraid they were going to have to lay off several employees. Even after the state came up with some money, the office was $400,000 short. Luckily, the federal Legal Services Corporation donated another $733,000.

This, combined with some private donations means the office is now in pretty good shape. In fact, they are going to be able to hire an information technology person, four paralegals and four new attorneys (starting September 1st).

I wish the state had come up with all the money the Chief Justice had asked for. They certainly don't seem to have any trouble coming up with the money for corporate handouts. But I guess I should be grateful they gave any money to legal aid at all. They could have treated legal aid like they did the poor children of Texas, when they decided that these kids didn't need or deserve any health insurance.

I look forward to a day when our legislature is more than just an embarrassment to the citizens of Texas.