Speech #870275661

I would say to the Members of the House that the instant program is a small point 4 program for our own people. Since we are engaged in point 4 programs for peoples all over the world. it is about time that we are beginning to think about similar programs for our own people. The 3year program which I am talking about would enable the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to make grants to public and other nonprofit agencies for paying part of the cost of establishing and operating family health service clinics and other special projects to improve health services for domestic agricultural migrant workers and their families. The maximum authorized cost of this program for each of the 3 years would be $3 million. It is expected that $2.5 million of this amount will be used for grants to States. local communities. and nonprofit organizations. All of these grants will be channeled through the State health departments. The remainder of $500.000 will be used to pay for special services of Federal employees. It is contemplated that several teams of Federal employees will be formed to assist States. local communities. and private nonprofit organizations to coordinate needed health services for migrant workers in order to eliminate present gaps and duplications in these services. The Members of the House might well ask: Why another Federal program? Is it not the responsibility of the States and local communities to take care of the migratory workers who come to these States and communities? There are several answers to these questions. Domestic agricultural migrant workers numbering nearly 1 million persons live and work only for brief periods in about 1.000 counties located chiefly in 31 States. Ordinarily communities in these areas have only health facilities and personnel designed to meet the health needs of their own local residents. These facilities and personnel are not capable of meeting the health needs of large numbers of persons who work temporarily in these areas. Second. local laws and ordinances establishing residence requirements for health care frequently bar migrant workers from health services which otherwise might be available to them. Even in those cases where local facilities are available to migrant workers. they often are available at times. places. and under conditions which result in the workers being unable to avail themselves of the services. There are additional reasons why these local health facilities cannot meet the demands placed upon them by migratory workers. Many of the migrant workers. while American citizens. do not speak English and many of them have an inadequate appreciation of health and sanitary problems. thus making it difficult for local health personnel to meet the health needs of migrant agricultural workers and their families. There is. however. an overriding reason why the Federal Government should assume some measure of responsibility in this area. Our agriculture throughout the Nation is geared to the ready availability of migrant agricultural workers. particularly at harvest time. Crops worth millions of dollars would rot in the fields and on the vines. bushes. and trees if these workers were not available in sufficient numbers at the right places and at the right times. Much of the work performed by migrant agricultural workers is skilled work. It cannot be performed by persons otherwise unemployed without causing grave injuries and loss to the produce and to the trees. vines. and plants bearing the produce. There are important precedents for Federal legislation aimed at meeting health and safety needs of individuals who are peculiarly involved in interstate commerce.