Esta será una opción para las parejas de bajos recursos en Texas, quienes podrán llenar un formato para terminar con su matrimonio, siempre y cuando estén en común acuerdo para separarse y no tengan hijos menores de edad ni propiedades.

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The agreement comes as a result of a complaint SMLS filed with the EPA after the LDAF refused to investigate worker allegations of repeated exposure to pesticides. Southern Migrant Legal Services, a project of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, filed the Title VI civil rights complaint on behalf of fourteen guestworkers from Mexico who had been subjected to repeated pesticide exposure while working on a Tangipahoa Parish strawberry farm from September 2007 through February 2008.  In the complaint, SMLS alleged that the LDAF’s refusal to investigate the guestworkers’ reports of pesticide exposure until they traveled to Baton Rouge for in-person interviews constituted national origin discrimination. According to Spring Miller, an SMLS attorney representing the workers, “Many of these workers had returned to Mexico, as required by the terms of their visas, and were unable to travel back to Baton Rouge. LDAF would investigate their complaints only if these workers showed up for an interview.  That policy makes it nearly impossible for the thousands of farmworkers across the state to make complaints about pesticide misuse.”

After a three-year investigation, the EPA announced this week that it has entered into a settlement agreement with LDAF. The settlement requires the LDAF to conduct telephone interviews when pesticide complainants or witnesses are unavailable for in-person interviews.  It also mandates that the LDAF contract with Spanish interpreters as needed and that it conduct eight community outreach sessions over the next two years.

“We are gratified that the LDAF has taken steps to ensure that all agricultural workers in Louisiana have access to the pesticide protections to which they are entitled under federal law,” added Miller. “We look forward to working with the agency as it implements the terms of this landmark agreement.”

The EPA-LDAF settlement and the EPA’s findings of fact are available online at www.epa.gov/ocr/TitleVIcases/index.html#ldaf.

SMLS is a project of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) based in Nashville, Tennessee that provides free employment-related legal services to migrant farmworkers who work in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Established in 1970, TRLA is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income and disadvantaged clients in a 68-county service area. TRLA’s mission is to promote the dignity, self-sufficiency, safety and stability of low-income Texas residents by providing high-quality legal assistance and related educational services.

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The grant will help fund TRLA’s efforts to provide legal protections to low-income victims of domestic violence in Brewster, Crockett, Jeff Davis, Kimble, Mason, Presidio, Reeves, Sutton, and Terrell counties. The grant will also support the continued legal alliance between TRLA and the Family Crisis Center of the Big Bend, a partnership that allows victims to receive free legal assistance from the moment they turn to a shelter for help.

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The grant will help fund TRLA’s efforts to provide legal protections to low-income victims of domestic violence in Brewster, Crockett, Jeff Davis, Kimble, Mason, Presidio, Reeves, Sutton, and Terrell counties. The grant will also support the continued legal alliance between TRLA and the Family Crisis Center of the Big Bend, a partnership that allows victims to receive free legal assistance from the moment they turn to a shelter for help.

“Victims of domestic violence are often unable to afford the high cost of hiring an attorney to help them escape from abuse,” said TRLA Executive Director David Hall.  “The support of the King Foundation comes at a critical time for low-income West Texans in need of free legal help.”

The King Foundation’s support comes as repeated budget cuts on the state and federal levels are forcing legal aid organizations to cut back on services to low-income residents in need of help with issues such as escaping an abuser, avoiding foreclosure, or fighting for child custody. In addition, a weak economy has led to a surge in the demand for free legal services and the number of people eligible for legal aid.

Every year TRLA assists more than 20,000 low-income Texans with their civil legal needs. In 2010, TRLA helped more than 100 victims of domestic violence in West Texas obtain protective orders, get divorces, or secure child custody.

“Without free legal help, many victims of domestic violence return to their abusers,” added Hall. “These funds will help save lives.”

Established in 1970, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. (TRLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income and disadvantaged clients in a 68-county service area. TRLA’s mission is to promote the dignity, self-sufficiency, safety and stability of low-income Texas residents by providing high-quality civil legal assistance and related educational services.

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“When somebody comes to my door I do not answer it. Or, if they want to conduct a survey I am not usually willing to spend 20 minutes of my day answering their questions. So, it is nice to have a good welcoming, rather than a door shut in your face,” Flores said.

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