Legal Services Corporation 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On August 21, 2006, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to amend LSC's regulation on client grievance procedures. The comment period closed on September 20, 2006. LSC is reopening the comment period to allow additional time for interested parties to comment on the proposed changes.

This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes to amend the Legal Services Corporation's regulation on client grievance procedures. These proposed changes are intended to improve the utility of the regulation for grantees and their clients and applicants for service in the current operating environment. In particular, LSC is proposing changes to clarify what procedures are available to clients and applicants, to emphasize the importance of the grievance procedure for clients and applicants and to add clarity and flexibility in the application of the requirements for hotline and other programs serving large and widely dispersed geographic areas.

This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes to amend the Legal Services Corporation's regulation on prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of disability. These proposed changes are intended to improve the utility of the regulation for LSC, its grantees and other interested persons, by updating the terminology used throughout the regulation, by adding a reference to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and by adding language to the enforcement provision setting forth LSC policy regarding investigation of complaints of violation of this regulation.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is the national organization charged with administering federal funds provided for civil legal services to low-income people. LSC hereby announces the availability of competitive grant funds and is soliciting grant proposals from interested parties who are qualified to provide effective, efficient, and high quality civil legal services to eligible clients in the service area(s) of the states and territories identified below. The exact amount of congressionally appropriated funds and the date, terms, and conditions of their availability for calendar year 2007 have not been determined.

This final rule deletes in its entirety the Legal Services Corporation's regulation at 45 CFR part 1631, Expenditure of Grant Funds. The deletion is warranted because the statutory authority for part 1631 is no longer the prevailing rule of law.