The MSBA is pursuing legislative initiatives to tackle two scenarios in which it can be hard to get needed legal help. The initiatives seek (1) state funding for student loan repayment assistance for lawyers who commit to private practice in rural areas, and (2) a civil right to appointed counsel in public housing eviction actions alleging breach of lease.
The proposed legislation to assist new rural lawyers was brought forward by the Solo & Small Firm Section, which tellingly noted, “There are many counties in rural Minnesota where the entire bar could sit together around a dinner table.” Sen. Nick Frentz (DFL-North Mankato), a lawyer, has introduced a bill, SF2587, that would provide student loan repayment assistance to lawyers who make a five-year commitment to practice in designated rural areas. The lawyers must devote at least 50 percent of their time to representing individual residents who have an income below 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
The MSBA’s second legislative initiative is targeted to assist people of lower income who live in public housing. Research by the MSBA’s Access to Justice Committee demonstrates that in Minnesota public housing breach of lease evictions in 2016, unrepresented tenants were evicted 83% of the time while represented tenants settled all of their cases.
Bills seeking to guarantee a civil right to counsel in public housing breach of lease evictions have been filed in both the Minnesota House and Senate. They were authored by Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL-Mendota Heights), a lawyer, and Sen. Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Minneapolis).