State Sen. Steve Ogden received the Legislative Hero Award from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, a low-income free legal service group, Friday in downtown Bryan.
In the small and crowded office, a diverse group of supporters of the foundation gathered to witness the award ceremony. The events included remarks from Paul Furrh Jr., CEO of Lone Star Legal Aid, Andrew Strong, general counsel of the Texas A&M University System, Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan L. Hecht and Ogden.
The Lonestar Legal Aid is the fourth largest provider of free legal aid in the U.S. Its main priorities are maintaining and protecting economic stability, preserving housing, improving outcomes for children, establishing safety and stability for families and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities.
"We represent folks who are income eligible for any of the federal benefits programs. We've represented students in every office that we've got. Landlord and Tennant matters, students that are low income; we've represented students that had special ed needs. We've even represented battered spouses and domestic violence situations. Sadly, this affects students sometimes, too. The office is open and anyone can apply. Certainly many students would be income eligible," Furrh said.
According to Justice Hecht, the state contributes $20 million to the foundation to provide legal service at no cost. "There is a moral imperative to do this the best we can. We are deeply indebted to these offices around the state," Hecht said.
Ogden was surprised to receive the award.
"This is a wonderful surprise. I never thought the lawyers would give me anything. I accept this award, not on behalf of me, but on behalf of the legislature who unanimously agreed with this effort. I appreciate the honor, and we will do our best next session to keep this program intact," he said.
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