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Committee considers Access to Justice and Vermont Bar Association funding requests
Summary
Senate Judiciary members reviewed Access to Justice Coalition and Vermont Bar Association funding requests, including a proposed low-interest loan fund and a $25,000 administrative request from the Bar.
Senate Judiciary members reviewed requests aimed at expanding access to legal services and small-dollar loan assistance and discussed which items to include in the committee’s budget letter.
Committee staff said the Access to Justice Coalition sought funding for a low-interest loan fund and that one request on the table was for about $525,000; staff also noted the Vermont Bar Association separately asked for $25,000 to administer a grant program tied to the Bar’s existing low-interest loan pool. The Bar told the committee it intended to administer grants and expected to contribute its own funding (a roughly $1 million pool derived from member trust-account interest) while seeking a small administrative appropriation to expand reach.
Committee members described the Bar Association’s $25,000 ask as an economical administrative allocation: “They’re only asking for $25,000 to administer it, and they’re going to put the grants out in addition to their own million dollars that they donate from their low-interest pool,” a committee member said. Members generally expressed support for including the administrative amount and for featuring the Access to Justice Coalition’s request alongside other priorities.
Staff noted the House budget did not include all of these items; the committee planned to consolidate and prioritize requests before sending a letter to appropriations.
