Many believe that if people are poor, they have the right to an attorney if they have legal problems and if they cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for them. Unfortunately, that only happens with criminal cases.

If a welfare benefit has been suddenly cut, if you need protection from abuse, or if you are the elderly victim of financial exploitation, you will need the help of one of Maine’s six legal aid providers.

In 1996, I joined the board of directors of Pine Tree Legal Assistance, the first legal aid provider in Maine and the one that provides general legal services to people with household incomes at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. As a consumer advocate, I have worked with the board and staff to make sure that Pine Tree’s services are accessible to people around the state, regardless of disability, language or other factors. But we have not been able to make sure that everyone who needed help from Pine Tree was able to get it.

The reason is simple: years of funding cuts to legal aid programs such as Pine Tree Legal have reduced its ability to provide services to low-income people around Maine who cannot afford an attorney. As a result, many people cannot access help from Pine Tree when it is most needed for things such as poor housing, credit problems or access to health care, even though the hardworking staff and volunteers at Pine Tree completed work on more than 12,000 cases in 2004.

The Lewiston office of Pine Tree was closed for many years because of earlier funding cuts; last year, more than 900 people received help from that office, often coming by foot for help. With additional staff, many more could have been served. Without additional funding, however, the Lewiston office and other Pine Tree offices and projects are in danger.

A bill introduced in this session of the Maine Legislature hopes to improve that situation. L.D. 715, “An Act to Provide Support for Legal Services for Low Income Maine People,” would raise new funds for legal service providers in Maine, including Pine Tree Legal Assistance. The bill proposes a combination of new funds and a $5 increase in civil fines, as well as a “revenue neutral” switch from a dollar surcharge to one based on a percentage of court filing fees, in order to raise an additional $1 million to handle the most serious legal problems faced by low-income and elderly Mainers around the state. Thousands of Maine people waiting to realize the promise of “justice for all” will benefit as a result.

This legislation is co-sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chair Deborah PelletierSimpson of Auburn and has strong bipartisan support. Chief Justice Leigh Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court urged the Legislature to pass this legislation in her recent State of the Judiciary speech, noting that access to justice does not come easily to low-income Mainers.

We especially need this funding now, at a time when cuts are going on all around us, while the cost of providing services is going up. Access to legal services can improve the quality of life for low-income Mainers and may reduce dependence on other forms of assistance over time. At a recent news conference at the State House, I overheard one of our state senators say that he did not mind paying a little more on some things if it helps Maine’s neediest. This legislation will do just that.

Alice Conway lives with her family in a wheelchair accessible, affordable apartment in Auburn. She does advocate work around the state for people with disabilities and others. She is often heard saying “Equal access for all.” She can be reached at EqualAcces@aol.com.

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