Speech #970046885

Laotian natives who had no written language in their own culture. and came from a tribal society in the hills of Laos. Certainly. some assistance must be provided for their assimilation into our way of life. Concepts which we all take for granted such as jobs. education. and bank accounts are completely foreign to many of the refugees who receive the Federal assistance we are considering today. At the resettlement centers in Los Angeles. the refugees are asking "What is a toilet?". "What is an apartment?". "What is a job?". The Indochinese refugees came to this country under the authority of the Federal Government. Today. 71 percent of the 24.000 Indochinese refugees in the State of Washington. for example. are receiving public assistance. By the end of fiscal year 1982. there will be roughly 700.000 Indochinese refugees in the United States. Over 75 percent will have been in the United States for less than 36 months. This group will qualify for the Federal assistance at issue today. It would not be fair to ask the impacted States to assume the resulting financial burden. I urge my colleagues to support Senator THURMONDS proposal to authorize $584 million for fiscal year 1982. $570 million for 1983. and $470 million for 1984. as requested by the President for refugee assistance.@