Speech #910193600

Public Law 91204. to trim the appropriation to the maximum extent. leaving only $21.250.000. This actual funding falls far short of the full authorization level. I have introduced H.R. 16553. a supplemental appropriation bill which would bring the appropriation for the Bilingual Education Act to the fully authorized level of $40.000.000 for fiscal year 1970. With the increased immigration of Puerto Rican and other Spanishspeaking children. the need for bilingual education became more apparent in this last decade. By this year. nonEnglishspeaking students comprise almost 6 percent of the schoolage population. ages 5 to 17. It is obvious that a lack of language skills is a serious learning problem.