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National
Congress Passes Continuing Resolution until
March 6, 2009; Funding for LSC Remains Level
"In the midst of the nation's economic meltdown, Congress managed
to pass a massive stopgap spending bill to fund federal agencies
at the fiscal year (FY) 2008 levels through the presidential
election and until March 6, 2009. The Continuing Resolution (CR)
includes FY 2009 Commerce Justice, Science and Related Agencies
bills which contain annual funding for the Legal Services
Corporation (LSC). The House approved the CR (HR 2638) by a vote
of 370- 58 on Wednesday, September 24, and the Senate voted
78-12 over the weekend, only days before the start of the new
fiscal year beginning Wednesday, October 1. The President is
expected to sign the bill that would avoid a lame duck session
following the November election.
The summer brought the 12 annual appropriations bills to a
virtual standstill with ongoing disputes over offshore drilling.
In order to reach a compromise, Democrats dropped their
opposition to an extension of the moratorium on drilling and
included three security-related FY 2009 bills in the CR package.
The bill also includes $22.9 billion for disaster relief funding
for states recovering from recent hurricanes and other natural
disasters and a doubling of funds (from $2.5 to $5 billion) for
the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
After the 111th Congress convenes in January, legislators will
face the task of returning to the nine FY 2009 appropriations
bills. The full appropriations committees have both recommended
an increase of 11%, from $350 to $390 million, in FY 2009
funding for LSC."
- National Legal Aid & Defender Association
LSC Announces Toll-Free Number for
Earned Income Tax Credit
New Phone Service Links Callers to Free Local Tax Assistance
"Washington, DC-Thanks to a grant from the Legal Services Corporation to the Legal Aid
Society of Orange County, low-income tax filers across the nation have a new resource for
help obtaining the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
The toll-free phone number, 1-888-4-EITC-4-U (or 1-888-434-8248), will help reach millions
of potential beneficiaries. Each eligible caller will be provided a list of local agencies
that provide free tax assistance. Legal Aid Society of Orange County maintains a database
of agencies in every state for the phone resource, including Income Tax Assistance programs,
United Ways, and legal services programs with the EITC in their service plans..."
[more]
I-CAN! Earned Income Tax Credit
"Legal Aid Society of Orange County (LASOC) created the I-CAN! Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) module to provide a simple way for low-income workers to electronically
file their taxes and claim their EITC refund. This web-based EITC system assists
low-income tax filers in completing the mandatory forms to receive an EITC refund and
complete their federal taxes..."[more]
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