Bridging the Gap

Please join LRAP for a CLE Thursday, November 15th from 3-5 p.m. at Faegre Baker Daniels addressing racial disparities and other barriers to student success in K-12 education. Two elimination of bias CLE credits have been applied for.Thanks to Fredrikson & Byron, Xcel Energy Office of General Counsel and other community support, we are able to offer this event free of charge to attendees. Please RSVP to HeatherRV@mnbar.org/612-278-6315. Click here for more details.

Help Save Public Service Loan Forgiveness for Future Legal Aid Lawyers

Please contact your US Representative and let him or her know you oppose the PROSPER Act’s elimination of Public Service Loan Forgiveness. PROSPER Act meetings are taking place this week, and the bill may come to the House floor soon. It appears current law students and those already in repayment will be grandfathered in, but we need help from all LRAP stakeholders to preserve PSLF for future legal aid attorneys and clients! Click here for a one-stop tool for contacting your members of Congress.

Urge Congress to retain Public Service Loan Forgiveness in its current form so dedicated public interest attorneys can afford to continue their important work serving low-income clients. And consider discussing these additional points:

1. How has PSLF enabled you help others and serve your community?
2. What would be the financial consequences to you and your family if loan forgiveness was eliminated? Could you continue to work in public service?
3. Have you taken on a large amount of student debt with the intention of achieving PSLF?
4. Are you depending on PSLF to help pay off your student debt after working in public service for 10 years?
5. In what ways do you see an elimination of PSLF effecting the availability of legal aid to low-income Minnesotans?

Attachment: Use this fact sheet to provide additional information to your members.

Follow-up with LRAP: Please let us know when you contact your representative, and what response you receive. Reach us at HeatherRV@mnbar.org or 612-278-6315.

Additional resource: Visit the Coalition to Preserve Public Service page here.

Find your elected officials:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/

https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Phone Numbers for MN Members of Congress

Representative Tim Walz (202) 225-2472

Representative Jason Lewis (202) 225-2271

Representative Erik Paulsen (202) 225-2871

Representative Betty McCollum (202) 225-6631

Representative Keith Ellison (202) 225-4755

Representative Tom Emmer (202) 225-2331

Representative Collin Peterson (202) 225-2165

Representative Rick Nolan (202) 225-6211

Senator Amy Klobuchar (202) 224-3244

Senator Tina Smith (202) 224-5641

Click here to read LRAP’s 2017 Year In Review

Highlights include new funding from the State of Minnesota, the addition of nine LRAP attorneys serving low-income clients throughout Minnesota, and the LRAP supporters who make it all happen.