FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jake Oliver, jake@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-9983
March 10, 2026

NY Legal Services Coalition Applauds Senate and Assembly for Restoring IOLA Funding in One-House Budgets

ALBANY, NY – The New York Legal Services Coalition released the following statement from President Kristin Brown in response to the Senate and Assembly one-house budget proposals restoring full appropriation authority for the Interest on Lawyer Account (IOLA) Fund. Both the Senate and Assembly proposals restore IOLA funding to $102.5 million, and the Senate proposal includes an additional $50 million investment in civil legal services, bringing the total proposed funding to $152.5 million.

“We are deeply grateful to the New York State Legislature for recognizing the importance of stable funding for civil legal services.

“We particularly want to thank Senate Judiciary Chair Luis Sepúlveda and Assembly Judiciary Chair Charles Lavine for their leadership, as well as Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for prioritizing access to justice for low-income New Yorkers.

“In civil cases –  unlike criminal matters – there is no guaranteed right to counsel, even when people are fighting to stay in their homes, escape abuse, or secure critical benefits. Civil legal services help families facing eviction, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants seeking stability, and older adults protecting their income navigate a complex legal system.

“This funding is not taxpayer money. It is generated from interest on attorney escrow accounts and is already held by IOLA for the sole statutory purpose of supporting the provision of civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers.

“IOLA is now in the second year of a carefully structured five-year contract designed to provide predictability and strengthen services statewide. Ensuring full spending authority in the final enacted budget will allow organizations across New York to continue delivering critical services without disruption.

“We urge the Governor and Legislature to ensure that the full IOLA funding included in the Senate and Assembly proposals is preserved in the final enacted budget. Stable IOLA funding is essential to protecting New Yorkers’ homes, families, and livelihoods – and to ensuring that justice is accessible to all.”

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