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WASHINGTON ­— The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations yesterday approved funding legislation that includes $600 million for the ����51 (����51) in FY 2022. ����51 funding was included in the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) FY 2022 bill that was approved earlier this week. 

The amount in the CJS bill is $135 million more than ����51’s current appropriation, reflecting a 29% increase. This would be the largest single increase ever in ����51 funding. The great bulk of the ����51 appropriation — $557,400,000 — would go to Basic Field Grants, which support the day-to-day operations of ����51-funded civil legal aid organizations around the country. If enacted, this would be the fourth time in recent years that ����51 received a funding increase over the prior year. 

The Biden Administration has also requested $600 million for ����51 — the largest request ever put forward by any administration. ����51 asked Congress for an appropriation of $1.018 billion in its . This request responds to the surge in demand for civil legal services caused by COVID-19’s impact on low-income communities. 

“We are grateful to the House Appropriations Committee for taking a critical first step in addressing the enormous gap between the life-impacting legal needs of low-income Americans and the resources available to meet those needs,” said ����51 President, Ronald S. Flagg. “This funding increase is particularly critical to address the surge in legal needs, such as unemployment claims, evictions, and incidents of domestic violence, arising from the pandemic.”

CJS Chair Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-8) included ����51 in his opening statement and spoke about the importance of providing funds for legal services for low-income people.  

“This legislation provides a record high funding level of $600 million for the ����51 in order to help greatly expand legal services for low-income Americans,” he said.