§ 54-06-20 — Indigent civil legal services fund - Distribution - Continuing appropriation - Records

Records.
1. An advisory committee consisting of the lieutenant governor, the director of the office
of management and budget or the director's designee, and the state court
administrator shall distribute moneys deposited in the indigent civil legal services fund.
Qualified legal service programs may apply for moneys in the fund. The moneys in the
fund must be distributed to legal service programs operating in the state which
provide, with funds appropriated by the federal legal services corporation, legal
services to persons unable to afford private counsel. Allocation of funds among the
programs must be based on the population served by each program, the range of legal
services offered, alternative sources of funding, and other factors deemed relevant by
the advisory committee. The moneys deposited in the indigent civil legal services fund
in the state treasury are hereby appropriated to the advisory committee on a
continuing basis for the purpose of implementing and administering a program to
provide civil legal assistance to indigent individuals.
2. Recipients of funds distributed by the advisory committee shall comply with the federal
Legal Services Corporation Act [42 U.S.C. 2996 et seq.].
3. Subject to the limitations in this section, funds distributed under subsection 1 may be
used to provide legal services to persons unable to afford private counsel in the
following types of cases:
a. Public benefits, including temporary assistance to needy families, unemployment
compensation, general assistance, the supplemental nutrition assistance
program, supplemental security income, or social security disability income;
b. Medical assistance;
c. Family law matters;
d. Housing;
e. Consumer issues; and
f. Elder law.
4. The advisory committee and each recipient of funds from the indigent civil legal
services fund shall maintain records in accord with the generally accepted accounting
principles. The records must account for the receipt and expenditure of all funds
distributed and received and must be maintained for a period of five years from the

close of the fiscal year in which the funds are distributed or received or until audited,
whichever is sooner.