Speech #960258377

Mr. Speaker. yesterday our distinguished colleague from Florida offered an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill that would relieve Arkansas taxpayers and those in other States who have shouldered the re.sponsibility and assumed a tremendous financial burden in helping to resettle thousands of Cuban refugees. We have the amendment before us again today. and I would urge my colleagues to lend their full support. The $100 million appropriated by this provision would help American townspeople. and State and local officials in areas like Fort Chaffee. Ark.. to recover from the staggering costs of resettling Cuban refugees for whom no other assistance is available under existing Federal law. These funds would be used to reimburse entities involved in the resettlement effort whose resources have been strained to the breaking point. State and local police. for example. who were called in to quell the disturbances at Fort Chaffee. and were paid with taxsupported dollars. could be eligible for reimbursement. What this $100 million appropriation is most definitely not. however. is a cash benefit for the refugees. Ever since the Federal Government opened our doors to the Cuban refugees on April 21. our people have been struggling to cope with a staggering human problema problem they did not create. The Federal Government has an obligation to relieve some of their burden. and approval of the Lehman amendment would help meet that responsibility. I support its approval.O