Maine Senate gives initial support to Sen. Anne Carney bill to protect and increase access to justice through civil legal assistance for persons with low incomes
AUGUSTA — On Wednesday, May 21, a strong, bipartisan majority of the Maine Senate endorsed a bill from Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth. LD 1022, “An Act to Protect and Increase Access to Justice in Civil Legal Matters for Persons with Low Incomes,” would expand access to justice by funding civil legal services for Mainers who cannot otherwise afford a lawyer. A bipartisan majority of the Maine House of Representatives voted to approve the bill on Thursday, May 22.
“One of my biggest priorities this — and every — legislative session, is doing everything I can to ensure all Mainers have access to justice, no matter their background or economic circumstances,” said Sen. Carney. “This bipartisan vote from the Senate demonstrates the strong support for protecting thousands of Mainers with low incomes who struggle to access a lawyer in significant matters that impact their lives, including domestic violence, education rights, employment and housing. This bill will help preserve access to these important services.”
Maine has seven legal aid organizations that coordinate their services to represent as many persons in need of advocacy as possible. These providers are supported by ongoing donations from Maine’s lawyers, surcharges on court fees and civil violation fines and by various grants. Since 2022, the Legislature has provided $1.3 million in annual baseline, General Fund support through the Maine Civil Legal Services Fund (MCLSF), and in the last biennium the program received additional one-time funding of $2 million per year. While this one-time appropriation allowed more people with low incomes to receive legal aid in the last biennium, without further funding the number of legal service providers will decrease and more Mainers will go unrepresented when existing funds are exhausted in June.
LD 1022, if enacted as amended, would add enough General Fund support in the next biennium to maintain the system’s existing level of capacity and to gradually increase it. State funding would total $6.4 million in the 2025-26 fiscal year and $9.5 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year.
The bill also requires the Judiciary Committee to hold a public hearing on civil legal services funding in 2026 and every two years thereafter, and for the Committee to make a recommendation to the Governor and the Legislature based on those hearings regarding funding of civil legal services.
Sen. Carney worked for eight years as a volunteer attorney with Pine Tree Legal Services, providing the same type of advocacy this bill seeks to fund. She saw firsthand the positive impact that access to a lawyer can have on people’s lives. More information about PTLA and Maine’s other civil legal services providers can be found here.
LD 1022 now faces additional votes in the House and Senate.
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