Speech #960238886

Speaker. I am introducing legislation which would require the Federal Government to reimburse local school districts for the costs involved. By the time that the last of the boat flotilla from Mariel reaches Key West. it is estimated that 100.000 Cuban refugees will have arrived in this country. To that figure. we can add some 20.000 Haitians. The greater number of these people will take up residence in south Florida. Preliminary figures indicate that student enrollment in the Dade County school system. from this source. is reaching 60 new students per day. This represents an increase in enrollment sufficient to require two new classrooms each schoolday. and is the cost equivalent of adding one new school every 2 weeks. By the opening of this school year. funds will be required. in this one county school system. to provide for an additional 20.000 refugee students. The per annum cost for each Englishspeaking child would be approximately $1.700. In. the case of the refugee child. speaking only Spanish or Creole. special orientation. language training and related matters. will add an additional cost of $1.000 per child per annum. or $3.000 for each such child. or. a grand total of approximately $60 million annually. Such costs must. in equity. be paid by the Federal Government. The money is not available locally. It is obvious that if the cost is to be absorbed into the present school budget. it could only be met by increasing student load per classroom and by reducing other educational services. In consequence. the equality of education for the child already in our schools would deteriorate substantially. Clearly. as a result of our Nations policy of opening its borders to political refugees from the Caribbean. the school districts in south Florida. and. to some extent. those in other areas of the country. are facing and will continue to face an insuperable financial problem unless the Federal Government meets the cost resulting from this national immigration policy. In passing the Indochina Refugee Children Assistance Act of 1976. the Congress determined that until the new Indochinese families could support themselves and pay taxes. school districts facing excessive costs in educating Indochinese refugee children would be reimbursed for the cost. In keeping with the spirit and the intent of this act. I am introducing legislation today. to add to this law. an amendment to provide for reimbursement to local school districts. the full costs of educating the children of Caribbean refugees. I would like to add that the distinguished chairman of Education and Labor has agreed to promptly conduct hearings on this amendment. both in Washington and in Dade County. Fla.. in order to bring this amendment to the House floor in expeditious fashion. H.R. 7425 A bill to amend the Indochina Refugee Children Assistance Act of 1976 to provide for assistance to educational agencies for services provided to Cuban and Haitian refugee children Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That title II of the Indochina Refugee Children Assistance Act of 1976 is amended(1) in section 201(b). by inserting "(A)" immediately after "(3)" and by inserting at the end of paragraph (3) the following new subparagraph: "(B) The term "Caribbean refugee children" means children from alien families who (i) because of persecution or fear of persecution on account of race. religion. or political opinion. fled from Cuba or Haiti. (ii) cannot return there because of fear of such persecution. (iii) are in urgent need of assistance. and (iv) are paroled into the United States by the Attorney General pursuant to section 212(d) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act on or after January 1. 1979.". (2) in section 202(b) (1). by inserting "the sum of" immediately before "the number" and by inserting immediately after "inclusive" the following: "and the number of Caribbean refugee children of such ages.". (3) by inserting "and Caribbean refugee children" immediately after "Indochina refugee children" each place it appears in .sections 202(e). 203. and 205(a)(3) and (6) (1). Z 1910