[2608] in peace2
EMERGENCY! Help stop total legal assistance cut in MA -- CALL TODAY!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Aimee L Smith)
Wed Jul 2 15:26:40 2003
Message-Id: <200307021926.PAA24332@w20-575-77.mit.edu>
To: peace-announce@mit.edu, greens-announce@mit.edu
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Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 15:26:18 -0400
From: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@MIT.EDU>
Legal assistance is very important in times of "homeland security,"
"special registration," and other evidence of our slipping into fascism...
Regards,
Aimee
------- Forwarded Message
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2003 06:34:46 -0400
To: "martha" <active@ureach.com>
From: Martha Older <active@ureach.com>
Subject: EMERGENCY! Help stop total legal assistance cut in MA -- CALL TODAY!
The governor has TOTALLY cut ALL civil legal services (domestic
violence, welfare, eviction, immigration, and more). This may
be taken up by the legislature for override TOMORROW
(Wednesday), and very possibly by Thursday.
The information I'm forwarding means that ALL civil legal
assistance has been cut. This means the end of most or all
agencies such as ours (where the legal clients get free
eviction, domestic violence, disability and immigration
assistance, among other things), as well as welfare assistance
. . . all gone.
Note: Rape crisis centers also received a bad cut last week --
put together, poor women in particular will be badly hurt.
Below, an email with more information, including how to contact
reps.
Please ask them to restore the conference budget for MLAC - line
item 0321-1600.
Also, part of an earlier email on contacting the governor --
some outrage can't hurt if you want to bother. (You needn't be
influential.)
------- End of Forwarded Message
Below, an email with more information, including how to contact
reps.
Please ask them to restore the conference budget for MLAC - line
item 0321-1600.
Also, part of an earlier email on contacting the governor --
some outrage can't hurt if you want to bother. (You needn't be
influential.)
/Martha Older
PS Some of you may get this from two sources; I apologize for
any duplications.
***********************************************************************
Dear Friends,
I apologize if you are hearing this message from several
people but we are running very scared.
The Governor today vetoed ALL funding for civil legal aid in
his budget veto message. There is no money for the
Massachusetts
Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC). (He also zeroed out the
Mental Health Legal Advisers Committee and Mass Correction
Legal
Services which receive separate state funding.)
Our only hope is a veto over-ride. You can help with two very
brief phone calls. Even better, make those calls and get three
others to do them as well.
Please call your Representative and Senator TODAY to urge them
to override this veto! Timing is tight because the legislature
may take up the vetoes as early as tomorrow. It only takes a
minute.
Your message to the legislators should be short and to the
point. This is more like voting, no one will have time to
discuss anything with you.
Identify yourself as a constituent. Then ask that the
legislator
support an override of the veto for the Massachusetts Legal
Assistance Corporation, Line item 0321-1600. In the House it is
especially important to ask the legislators to talk to Speaker
Finneran to urge him to bring the question to a vote!
To find your Representative's phone number, go to
www.state.ma.us/legis/memmenuh.htm
For your Senator's phone number, go to
www.state.ma.us/legis/memmenus.htm
To find who your Representative and Senator are, go to
www.wheredoivotema.com
For your information the budget passed by the legislature
already included a 16% cut for legal aid, bringing funding down
to $7.56 million from the current $8.96 million. With a veto
override, legal aid would receive the $7.56 million
appropriated
by the legislature. The Governor originally proposed a 30% cut
in MLAC funds. He now sets it at $0. The only explanation for
the veto is "...it [funding for MLAC] is no longer recommended
in view of revenues currently projected to be available."
{Add something here about the impact on your program}
Thank you for your help!
Robert Sable
Executive Director
Greater Boston Legal Services
197 Friend Street
Boston, MA 02114
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
xxxxxxxx
In case you want to contact the Governor as well:
On Monday the Governor [issued] his response to the budget
presented to him by the legislature. There is no funding for
MLAC [Mass Legal Assistance Corporation]. If you know anyone
of
influence with the administration please call them and ask them
to contact the Governor's office (617/725-4000)or his chief
legal counsel, Dan Winslow (725-4030). The message is please
accept the conference budget for MLAC - line item 0321-1600.
