Speaker. I rise in strong support of the measure before us now. H.R. 7859. the Refugee Education Assistance Act which provides funds to aid those local educational agencies who have increased numbers of Cuban. Haitian. and Vietnamese children. As New Yorks senior member of the Education and Labor Committee which considered this measure. I can state without a doubt that countless numbers of children will be forced to suffer educational opportunities if we do not approve this measure before us today. Our colleague from Florida. ED STACK. introduced this bill as a result of the overwhelming problems which his State faced during the recent influx of refugees from Cuba. When a school system is forced to absorb additional children as a result of Federal initiatives. the Government should also be willing to bear the responsibility to help with the cost of educating these refugee children. This is exactly what this bill seeks to address. This measure. authorized through fiscal year 1983. would provide both basic and supplemental educational aid to eligible school districts. Basic aid is set at $450 per eligible child and supplemental aid provides $750 per child in the first year through $300 per child in the final year of the bill. Eligible students include refugee children from Cuba. Haiti. and Vietnam. Cost estimates presented before the Education and Labor Committee set the cost of education at $3.000 per child.
Keywords matched
Refugee refugee refugees