Speech #920290428

Chairman. my amendment would add $3 million to this entire bill. a very modest request for a program that I think is very. very important. I hope that the Members will hear me out for just a moment. I would add $3 million for the migrant workers programs in the United States. When this bill was before the House. the authorized level requested was $30 million. The Appropriations Committee had in it only $23.7 million. I had a colloquy with the gentleman from Pennsylvania at the time the bill was before us. He sympathized but said that we just could not break the line. and we could not put in any extra funds. The bill went over to the other body. and they did push the funds up to the $30 million for the migrant workers program. In conference. they settled on the sum of $26.3 million. That was the amount that was finally agreed on. in the bill that was vetoed. My amendment would restore the $3 million. which leaves it exactly at the level that the conference had agreed to. This is the reason for the request. There are over 1 million migrant workers in the United States. In my State alone. we have some 280.000 migrant workers. There are two of these migrant headquarters in my district. so I am mindful of this problem. I have visited them. and I believe I understand the good accomplished by the program. We should keep in mind that of the 1 million migrant workers. most migrants. because they have had no education. just do not know what services are available and do not know where to go. Consequently they do not take. full advantage of the program. We need these programs. They are vitally important. The U.S. Public Health Service indicated they were going to phase out or eliminate hospitalization for the migrant workers program if they do not have adequate funding. It is not right for us. just in the interest of holding the line. not to put in a little bit of money here. Just a little addition here will not hurt this great big bill. I hope the Members will listen to these facts. for if they do they may mean something. The average life expectancy of a migrant worker is 20 years shorter than that of the average citizen. His infant and maternal mortality rate is 125 percent higher than the national average. while his death rate from influenza and pneumonia is 200 percent higher than the national rate. He and his family are 17 times more likely to suffer from tuberculosis and 35 times more likely to have worms.