Title
Title
Equal Access Fund | Distribution of Funds for Partnership Grants and IOLTA-Formula Grants (Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Budget Act of 2022 includes $40,874,000 in the Equal Access Fund for general distribution to legal services providers and support centers. The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission recommends allocating the funds to the State Bar of California for distribution in accordance with the Budget Act: 90 percent to legal services agencies through the IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts)-formula grants, and 10 percent for partnership grant awards. In accordance with the Budget Act, the Judicial Council and the State Bar will also reserve approximately 3 percent of the total for administration. These amounts are contingent on filing fee income received for fiscal year 2022-23, which constitutes approximately 13 percent of this allocation. The commission further requests approval of its findings that the proposed budget for each individual grant complies with statutory and other relevant guidelines.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Legal Services Trust Fund Commission recommends that the Judicial Council, effective September 20, 2022, approve:
1. The distribution of $31,506,480 in IOLTA-formula grants for fiscal year 2022-23 according to the terms of the state Budget Act;
2. The distribution of $3,500,720 in Equal Access Fund partnership grants to legal services agencies for programs conducted jointly with courts to provide legal assistance to self-represented litigants; and
3. The commission’s determination that the proposed budget of each individual grant complies with statutory and other guidelines.