This week I received an urgent message indicating that Legal Services of New Jersey is facing a huge shortfall in their core funding and therefore faces their worst financial challenge in its history. This comes at a time when due to the economic recession LSNJ is seeing a record number of clients seeking assistance due to mortgage foreclosures, evictions, utility shutoffs, denials of unemployment benefits, escalating collection actions, etc.
The note I received from my friend Rev. Bruce Davidson, Executive Director of the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry urges supporters to contact their state legislators to voice support for bill S2881/A3968 that is pending in Trenton. In fact, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee will be holding a hearing on the bill on Monday, June 22, 2009.
Action can be taken in a number of ways but it requires people to call and write now. Please take the following action today to: 1) Call or write members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and ask them to post and release S2881/A3968 which imposes a temporary requirement on county treasurers to forward $300 from certain mortgage sales to provide funding for LSNJ. See http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/committees/senate.asp for the list of committee members. 2) Send a letter or call Senate President Cody and ask him to bring the bill to the floor for a vote on June 25. His district office address and phone number is: 449 Mount Pleasant Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052-2734; Phone: 973-731-6770; FAX: 973-731-0647.
To read the bill visit http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/S3000/2881_I1.PDF. For a list of all state legislators with their phone, fax, and email addresses see the New Jersey Community Resources state legislature page at http://www.njcommunityresources.info/njlegislators.html.
Michael Swayze's Community Resources 