Speech #940131954

Mr. President. tomorrow. the Education Subcommittee of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare will hold a hearing on S. 2145. the Indochina Refugee Children Assistance Act of 1975. I request that my name be added as a cosponsor to this measure. I wish to commend Senator CRANSTON and Senator TUNNEY. the principal sponsors of this bill. which would provide much needed aid to those school districts which will receive these children. As local school budgets are prepared in advance. and are currently severely strained by rising costs and limited resources. these districts have no way to support the additional costs of these unexpected new students. S. 2145 is a limited bill. which will reimburse these additional costs only for a 2year period. I hope that the Senate will act quickly so that school administrators can properly plan for the special projects to meet the needs of these refugee children. Mr. President. S. 2145 would authorize payments based on the attendance of these children aged 5 to 17. Therefore. it will not support needed educational services for the 54 percent of the refugee population--estimated at 64.000 of the 117.000 personswho are 18 years of age and older. Many of these persons currently remain in the refugee camps awaiting resettlement. The Interagency Task Force on Refugees estimates that on August 1 over 60.000 refugees were still in relocation centers in the United States and Guam. In order that these refugees might become productive members of society. they must first be provided an opportunity to learn basic coping skills. In addition to refugees in relocation centers. approximately 64.000 refugees have already been resettled in the United States. These persons are now dealing with a wide variety of problems associated with beginning a new life in a new land. They have located in every State of the Union. although they are not evenly distributed. I ask unanimous consent that a table showing the distribution by States of refugees be printed in the RECORD.