* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: President Young
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
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Request for State Action - Preservation of Funding for Civil Legal Services
FOR the purpose of encouraging the Baltimore City Delegation to the General Assembly to support the preservation of funding for civil legal services.
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WHEREAS, access to legal recourse is a bedrock of civil society and American democracy, and access to legal services promotes the efficiency of the judicial system.
WHEREAS, the main source of funding for legal services for low income Maryland residents is the IOLTA Program, which has seen IOLTA income decrease due to protracted near-zero interest rates.
WHEREAS, current IOLTA and filing fee revenue is insufficient to maintain present grant levels going forward.
WHEREAS, repeal of the filing fee surcharge sunset provision is necessary to preserve Maryland’s legal services safety net, and additional revenue is necessary to avoid further funding reductions and to provide Maryland’s legal services delivery system with a desperately needed stable, predictable, source of revenue from year to year, as well as improve the administration of justice for all Maryland citizens by facilitating improved usage of Maryland’s courts.
WHEREAS, the Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC), members of the legal services community, and many others concerned with access to justice for low-inco...
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