Following the release of House 1, the Governor's budget for FY 2014, the Boston Bar Association released the following statement:
We are delighted to see that Governor Patrick has proposed $15.5 million for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, the primary source of state funding for civil legal aid in Massachusetts. Our governor recognizes that state funding for civil legal aid is more than a matter of social justice; it is a smart investment. Providing legal aid attorneys to poor people helps secure federal benefits such as disability payments and food stamps; it moves people off of state benefits and conserves precious state resources -- while also helping to prevent the gridlock in our courts associated with an ever-growing number of pro se litigants.