Sen. Anne Carney bill to protect and increase access to justice through civil legal assistance for persons with low incomes receives bipartisan committee support
AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, April 29, a strong, bipartisan majority of the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary voted to advance LD 1022, “An Act to Protect and Increase Access to Justice in Civil Legal Matters for Persons with Low Incomes.” The bill, sponsored by Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, would expand access to justice by funding civil legal services for Mainers who cannot otherwise afford a lawyer.
“On of my biggest priorities this — and every — legislative session, is doing everything I can to ensure access to justice is available to all Mainers, no matter their background or economic circumstances,” said Sen. Carney. “Over the last few weeks, my colleagues and I have worked together to protect 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 did allow 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, consequently, the number of unrepresented litigants will increase when funds are exhausted in June.
LD 1022, if passed 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 provides for 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 votes in the Senate and House.
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