Speech #910142132

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 14733. which would amend the Public Health Service Act to extend the program of assistance to the States for health services for migrant agricultural workers and to provide assistance for health services for other seasonal agricultural workers. This legislation would extend the ext isting programs for 3 fiscal years at the following levels of authorization: $20 million for 1971. $25 million for 1972. and $30 million for 1973. In addition. the scope of the present aw is expanded to include personsand their familieswho perform seasonal agricultural services similar to the servces performed by domestic agricultural migratory workers if the Secretary of Health. Education. and Welfare finds that such health services will improve the health conditions of migrant workers and their families. In many instances. Mr. Speaker. the nonmigrant agricultural worker works side by side with the migrant worker. Yet. the nonmigrant often does not receive health care through the municipal. county. or State government. and likewise. he is ineligible for assistance from the Federal Government. The migrant worker and his family may receive good health care through the migrant health services program only to become exposed again to disease from the uncared for nonmigrant agricultural worker. Too. the nonmigrant may decide at the end of the season to move with the work force. as sometimes happens. thus making it difficult to distinguish the migrant from the nonmigrant. It was the feeling of the committee that both the migrant worker and his family as well as the nonmigrant worker and his family could be served by expanding the scope of the bill and permitting the Secretary of Health. Education. and Welfare to determine when such additional health services should be provided. We are making good progress under this program which was first enacted in 1962 as Public Law 87692. At that time. there were only about onehalf dozen isolated community programs in operation. There are now 117 single or multicounty. grantassisted projects serving migrants in 35 States and Puerto Rico. An estimated 325.000 migrants live in the counties served by such projects. As of June 30 of this year. 1.000 physicians were serving in the program. there were. in fiscal year 1969. 210.000 medical visits. 28.000 dental visits. and 3.600 migrants were hospitalized. Yet. there is much more that needs to be done. We are reaching only about onethird of the total migrant population. estimated to be about 1 million. Over 600 counties where migrants live temporarily still have no grantassisted services. When I introduced the bill in August of this year to extend the program for 3 years. I recommended a funding authorization of $30 million for 1971. $45 million for 1972. and $60 million for 1973.