Following the release of House 1, the Governor's budget for FY 2014, the
Boston Bar Association released the following statement:
We are delighted to see that Governor Patrick has
proposed $15.5 million for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, the
primary source of state funding for civil legal aid in Massachusetts. Our
governor recognizes that state funding for civil legal aid is more than a matter
of social justice; it is a smart investment. Providing legal aid attorneys
to poor people helps secure federal benefits such as disability payments and
food stamps, it moves people off of state benefits and conserves precious state
resources -- while also helping to prevent the gridlock in our courts associated
with an ever growing number of pro se litigants.