The State Bar Association of North Dakota Spring 2015 Gavel Magazine | Page 20

SBAND MEMBERS VISIT CAPITOL HILL staff appear to handle the front-office duties, it was significant to see each congressional office had a member of our association in a leadership position. North Dakota attorney Mark Gruman is the Chief of Staff for Congressman Cramer. Ryan Bernstein followed Sen. Hoeven to Washington to serve as his Legal Counsel and is now Chief of Staff for our senior senator. Sen. Heitkamp is herself a member of SBAND and a former state Attorney General. She has surrounded herself with a law-trained Senior Counsel and two aspiring lawyers, Cole Kroshus from Mandan and Jack Fowler from Minot. D A N T R AY N O R ABA Delegate For many in North Dakota, a visit to Washington, D.C., to engage in citizen lobbying on behalf of an education association, Farm Bureau or a commodity group is not that uncommon. That’s the concept of ABA Day, a grassroots “lobby day” organized by the ABA Governmental Affairs Office. When we met with North Dakota’s members of Congress, we discussed several items of interest to SBAND and its members. In addition, the ABA highlighted certain legislative priorities that will improve legal access and delivery of justice. LEGAL SERVICES FUNDING The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is the largest provider of funding to civil legal assistance programs for low-income Americans. North Dakota currently receives $833,554 in federal funding from LSC. Nearly half of North Dakota’s total legal aid dollars come from LSC. Funding LSC at the level recommended by the President will provide an additional $177,934 in legal aid funds for North Dakota in the next fiscal year, bringing the state’s total to $1,011,488. More than 15 percent of North Dakota families are eligible for civil legal assistance. Due to funding decreases over the past few years, Legal Services of North Dakota closed 450 fewer cases in 2013 than in 2011. If funding can be found at the federal level, it will be welcomed by many in need of civil legal assistance in our state. Several hundred lawyers representing local, state and specialty bar associations joined ABA President William C. Hubbard to advocate for legal services funding, juvenile justice reform and oppose accrual-based tax proposals that would adversely affect many law firms and other personal service businesses. The ABA Day lobbying effort took place April 14-16 in Washington, D.C. SBAND Executive Director Tony Weiler and I were privileged to meet with Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Representative Kevin Cramer (R-ND). Although each member of our congressional delegation is regularly accessible in-state, there is something to be said for meeting with a member of Congress in the busy environment of the Capitol. I had always heard the quip that Congress was run by 24-year-olds. While younger 20 THE GAVEL ABA Delegate Dan Traynor and SBAND Executive Director Tony Weiler met with Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Senator John Hoeven and Congressman Kevin Cramer during ABA Days in Washington, D.C in April.