Maine Senate approves Sen. Carney bill to fund civil legal services

AUGUSTA — On Thursday , the Maine Senate gave initial bipartisan approval to a bill from Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, seeking to bolster civil legal services. LD 564, “An Act to Improve Access to Civil Legal Services,” would provide $11.7 million for the Civil Legal Services Fund Commission over the next two years. The vote was 23-7.

“The need for civil legal representation is urgent. We must do better than Maine’s current level of civil legal aid funding to meet the challenges Mainers with low or no income are met with,” said Sen. Carney. “I want to thank my Senate colleagues for supporting this bill.”

The Maine Civil Legal Services Fund was established to support civil legal services to persons who otherwise are not able to pay for these services. Funds are disbursed to legal service providers to support the provision of free legal services to Maine people who are elderly or have low income. Legal service providers include Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, Disability Rights Maine, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maine Equal Justice, Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project and Pine Tree Legal Assistance.

“The harm that results when older Mainers who face legal problems that implicate their basic needs don’t get access to free legal help extends well beyond the loss of safety, independence and dignity experienced by individuals,” said Jaye Martin with Legal Services for the Elderly during the public hearing for the bill. “As the oldest state in the nation, failing to provide older people with legal help when it is needed adversely impacts all of our local communities and our entire state.”

The bill now awaits additional votes in the Senate and House.

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