; Whereas every State has enacted legislation to guarantee counsel for some types of civil proceedings, most commonly child welfare and mental health proceedings, but the reach of these laws is very limited; Whereas a few States, counties, and cities throughout the United States have sought to address unmet civil legal needs by guaranteeing attorneys for individuals who cannot afford them in proceedings affecting basic human needs, including that— (1) since 1975, the State of New York has provided a right to appointed counsel for individuals living below 250 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines in critical family law proceedings, including proceedings related to adoption, child custody, and domestic violence; (2) since 2009, California has funded the provision of attorneys in several counties for individuals living below 200 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines in proceedings involving basic human needs, including housing and family law proceedings; (3) since 2008, Wyoming has provided a right to appointed counsel for unrepresented individuals subject to civil commitment proceedings for mental illness; (4) in 2017, New York City enacted legislation to provide a right to counsel by 2022 for all tenants subject to eviction who are living at or below 200 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines and appropriated funds to guarantee, in some areas of the city, the provision of full legal assistance to income-eligible tenants and brief consultation services to all other tenants; (5) in 2017 and 2018, the District of Columbia and Newark, New Jersey, respectively, began appropriating funding to provide legal counsel in eviction proceedings for individuals who live below 200 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines, with Newark, New Jersey providing legal counsel as a matter of right