LSC Board Chairman Frank B. Strickland Testifies Before House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC--Frank Strickland, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation, testified yesterday in response to a question that LSC is adopting all 11 of the recommendations in the Inspector General's "Report on Certain Fiscal Practices at LSC," as indicated in LSC's response.

Strickland appeared at a hearing held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law on H.R. 6101, which provides that the LSC Inspector General cannot be removed without the written concurrence of 9 of the 11 members of the LSC Board. Strickland testified that LSC opposes the bill and that, contrary to inaccurate news reports and the Inspector General's testimony, the Board has neither retaliated nor taken any steps to remove the Inspector General. (All of the inaccurate new reports emanated from a single source, Associated Press reporter Larry Margasak.)

LSC President Helaine Barnett did not attend the hearing based on the Board's decision that the matter involved the authority of the Board and that the Board intended to respond. The reasons for not attending were detailed in three letters to the Committee. Strickland was the sole witness for the Board. Although Board members Lillian BeVier and Mike McKay attended the hearing and had planned to respond to questions, they were not allowed to speak by Representative Chris Cannon, Chairman of the Subcommittee.