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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 12, 2013 11:59 AM |
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| From: | Representative Tarah Toohil |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Access to Justice Act |
| In the near future, I will introduce legislation to amend the Access to Justice Act. The General Assembly enacted this legislation in 2002 in order to help fund legal services for low income Pennsylvanians. Toward the end of last session, the General assembly re-authorized this legislation for an additional five-year period. The Access to Justice Act establishes the Access to Justice Account. The account is funded through a $2 fee placed on court filings and a temporary fee of $1. Hence, currently, $3 in fees goes to the Access to Justice Account. According to the report prepared by the Pennsylvania IOLTA board, which is an arm of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Access to Justice Account provides a stable source of funding for legal services to the disadvantaged. The current $3 in fees has produced $11 million in funding for fiscal year 2011. The money goes to the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, which provides legal services to low income citizens. There are 14 offices throughout Pennsylvania. Each client must meet income requirements. Generally, the case load includes protection from abuse, evictions and emergency custody. According to the report issued by the Pennsylvania IOLTA board, even with the $3 in fees, legal services turns away half of those who qualify for services. As a consequence, thousands of citizens are denied critical legal help. My legislation increases the fees paid to legal services by $1. The total fees would be $4, instead of the current $3. In addition, my legislation makes the temporary fee permanent. The text of the bill is attached. |
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| View Attachment | ||
Introduced as HB1337