Rulemaking

Open Rulemakings and Rulemaking Information  

Other information about LSC rulemaking is available at:

For further information, please contact Stefanie K. Davis, Deputy General Counsel & Ethics Officer, (202) 295-1563 or sdavis@lsc.gov

Part 1607—Governing Bodies
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (April 12, 2024)

Deadline

Comments must be received by LSC by 11:59 pm Eastern on May 13, 2024.

Summary

The Legal Services Corporation’s (LSC) FY 2024 appropriation enacted on March 9, 2024, included language that lowered the proportion of attorneys required to serve on the governing bodies of LSC grant recipients from 60% to 33%, and eliminated the requirement that bar associations appoint the majority of attorneys. LSC is revising its regulation pertaining to recipient governing bodies to be consistent with this directive from Congress. 

Additional background information and details are available in these Federal Register notices: 

Further Information

For further information, please contact: 

Stefanie K. Davis, Deputy General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1563 (phone), (202) 337-6519 (fax), or sdavis@lsc.gov.

Comments—The comment period closed on May 13, 2024.

Deadline

Comments must be received by LSC by 11:59 pm Eastern on May 13, 2024.

Submission Instructions

Electronic submissions are preferred via email with attachments in Acrobat PDF format.  LSC will not consider written comments sent to any other address or received after the end of the comment period.

Address

You may submit comments by any of the following methods:

Email

Email to: lscrulemaking@lsc.gov
Include “Comments on Revisions to Part 1607” in the subject line of the message.

Postal Mail

Stefanie K. Davis, Deputy General Counsel
ATTN: Part 1607 Rulemaking
Legal Services Corporation
3333 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20007 

Hand Delivery/Courier

Stefanie K. Davis, Deputy General Counsel
ATTN: Part 1607 Rulemaking
Legal Services Corporation
3333 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20007 

Additional background information and details are available in these Federal Register notices:

Proposed Rule; Correction (April 17, 2024)

Summary

This document corrects the preamble to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register of April 12, 2024, regarding the requirements applicable to Legal Services Corporation (LSC) grant recipients' governing bodies. This correction provides the addresses to which comments on the proposed rule may be sent.

The text of the correction is available in the Proposed Rule; Correction published in the Federal Register at 89 Fed. Reg. 27,405 (April 17, 2024)

Further Information

For further information, please contact:

Stefanie K. Davis, Deputy General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1563 (phone), (202) 337-6519 (fax), or sdavis@lsc.gov.

Final Rule Effective Jan. 1, 2025 (Aug. 12, 2024)

Effective Date

This final rule is effective on January 1, 2025.

Summary

The Legal Services Corporation's (LSC) FY 2024 appropriation enacted on March 9, 2024, included language that lowered the proportion of attorneys required to serve on the governing bodies of LSC grant recipients from 60% to 33%, and eliminated the requirement that bar associations appoint the majority of attorneys. This final rule revises LSC's regulation pertaining to recipient governing bodies to be consistent with this directive from Congress.

The changes to the rule text with additional background information is available in the Final Rule published in the Federal Register at 89 Fed. Reg. 65,550 (Aug. 12, 2024).

Further Information

For further information, please contact:

Stefanie K. Davis, Deputy General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1563 (phone), (202) 337-6519 (fax), or sdavis@lsc.gov.

Related Information

Additional information regarding the changes to Part 1607 are at:
Program Letter 24-3 (Part 1607 Changes)
FAQ for Part 1607 Changes

Parts 1621 and 1624–Client Grievance Procedures and Prohibition of Discrimination Based on Disability (2024)
Request for Information and Public Listening Sessions

Deadlines

The written comment period closes on May 29, 2024.  
Instructions for submitting written comments appear in a section below. 

Public listening sessions for oral comments will be held in March and April as described in a section below. 

Summary

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is requesting public input on proposed revisions to 45 CFR parts 1621 and 1624 related to client grievance procedures and prohibition of discrimination based on disability, respectively. LSC is considering expanding the regulations’ scope to require grantees to establish grievance procedures for board members and ensure they are afforded disability protections. The main purpose of these proposals would be to give board members the same protections under the regulations as applicants for legal assistance, clients, and grantee employees.

LSC is asking grantees, clients, other stakeholders, and interested members of the public to provide LSC with their views on the following questions:

●  What policies and procedures do your organizations currently have in place to address board member grievances? Describe the process.

●  Has your organization had positive or negative experiences with utilizing these procedures in the past?

●  What effect or impact would revising parts 1621 and 1624 to apply to grantee governing body members have on your organization? Unexpected outcomes?

●  Based on previous experience, how often would your organization use regulations like Part 1621 and Part 1624?

●  Is there anything else LSC can do to help resolve conflicts on your organization’s board?

Additional background information and details are available in the Request for Information published in the Federal Register. 

Further Information

For further information, please contact Brittany Sims Nwankwoala, Assistant General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1599 (phone); or nwankwoalab@lsc.gov.

 

Written Comments—Deadline May 29, 2024

Deadlines

The written comment period closes on May 29, 2024.  
Instructions for submitting written comments appear in this section.

Public listening sessions for oral comments will be held in March and April as described in a section below.

Instructions for Written Comments

Interested parties may submit their comments in writing to LSC via email, fax, or postal mail.

Email

lscrulemaking@lsc.gov. Include “Parts 1621 & 1624” in the subject line of the message.

Postal Mail

Brittany Sims Nwankwoala, Assistant General Counsel
ATTN: Parts 1621 & 1624 Rulemaking
Legal Services Corporation
3333 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20007 

Hand Delivery/Courier

Brittany Sims Nwankwoala, Assistant General Counsel
ATTN: Parts 1621 & 1624 Rulemaking
Legal Services Corporation
3333 K St. NW
Washington, DC 20007 

Further Information

For further information, please contact Brittany Sims Nwankwoala, Assistant General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1599 (phone); or nwankwoalab@lsc.gov.

Listening Sessions for Oral Comments

LSC will hold four listening sessions during which interested parties may join a Zoom call with LSC staff to provide their comments orally.

Wednesday March 13, 2024 at 10:30 am–12:30 pm

Friday, March 22, 2024 at 2:00 pm—4:00 pm

Tuesday, April 3, 2024 at 3:00 pm—5:00 pm

Monday, April 15,2024 at 1:00 pm—3:00 pm

Listening Session Access Information

To participate in the listening sessions via Zoom, please follow the link or use the dial-in instructions below: 

Link: https://lsc-gov.zoom.us/j/4396412186

Meeting ID: 439 641 2186

Dial-In: Find your local number: https://lsc-gov.zoom.us/u/kAZIVdfiA