FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2010
Contact: Erika Gonzalez, Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations
512-494-2864 or egonzalez@echristianpr.com
 

Texas Senator Steve Ogden to Be Honored with Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation will honor Senator Steve Ogden with the Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award during a reception at 1 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 24, at the Lone Star Legal Aid office in Bryan, Texas. Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan L. Hecht, the Court’s liaison for access to justice issues, will present the award to Senator Ogden.  The Legislative Hero Award recognizes legislators who, through their efforts, have significantly advanced access to justice in Texas by assisting with the appropriation of funds and/or other substantive activities related to the provision of legal aid in the state.
What:  Presentation to honor Senator Steve Ogden with the Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award by Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan L. Hecht

When: Fri., September 24, 2010, 1 p.m.
          
Where: Lone Star Legal Aid, 200 E. 24th St., Suite A, Bryan, TX 77803

Senator Ogden is being recognized for his outstanding leadership efforts to improve access to justice for poor and low-income Texans in the 81st Texas Legislature. Ogden’s grasp of the funding gap for Texans in need of help with civil legal issues led to an historic appropriation of funding for civil legal services to poor Texans; an appropriation of more than $20 million.

Ogden is a leader in the Texas Senate on budget issues, criminal justice, school finance, higher education funding, child protection and transportation safety. He is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and served three terms in the Texas House of Representatives before he was elected Senator for District 5.

The Texas Access to Justice Commission was created in 2001 by the Supreme Court of Texas to develop and implement policy initiatives designed to expand access to and enhance the quality of justice in civil legal matters for low-income Texans. The Commission has created several initiatives to increase resources and awareness of legal aid. For more information, please visit www.TexasATJ.org.

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (www.teajf.org), created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984, is the primary state-based funding source for the provision of civil legal aid in Texas. The organization is committed to the vision that all Texans will have equal access to justice, regardless of their income. The Foundation administers a variety of funding sources, which are earmarked to assist nonprofit organizations in providing legal aid to approximately 100,000 Texans each year.

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