Speech #980137689

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3729. the Refugee Assistance Extension Act. Passage of this measure is of critical importance. It would extend for 2 years the authorization of appropriations for refugee assistance provided pursuant to the Refugee Act of 1980. The current law provides crucial Federal financial support for special education and social service assistance to refugees brought into this country as a direct result of Federal policy. This law should clearly be extended. In addition to reauthorizing the Refugee Act. H.R. 3729 contains a provision to prohibit the block granting of the refugee program. Block granting f this program would present the 3tate and local governments with an inconscionable choice between assurng that basic food. shelter. and health care requirements of a significant number of newly arrived refugees are net and that adequate services are )rovided to enable all refugees to be apidly assimilated with as little de)endency on public assistance as possiOUSE November 14. 1983 a ble. The Judiciarys Subcommittee on - Immigration is on record as solidly against the block granting of the refugee program and so. too. is the full Jua diciary Committee. We must remember that the decision to admit refugees is a Federal decision d which carries with it the responsibility - for Federal financial support. Block - granting or disentitlement is not cost saving. it is merely cost shifting from the Federal Government where it belongsto the State and local governments. which are already suffering under reduced capacity because of cutbacks in domestic programs. Many States have State laws or constitutions which prohibit discrimination among classes of individuals who reside within State borders. Federal disentitlement would simply be an incentive for secondary migration to such States. We have seen this before with cutoff of Federal funds. When the administration cut the cash assistance period of noncategorically eligible refugees from 36 to 18 months. thousands of refugees fled to the States that have State general assistance provisions. This is one of the reasons why targeted assistance is so important to the States. In this bill. steps have been taken to encourage refugee selfsufficiency. Under current refugee law. cash and medical assistance are terminated for refugees refusing an appropriate offer of employment. Thus. sanctions already exist against those refugees who refuse bona fide job offers. That would be continued. In addition. the bill before us today sets up pilot projects designed to encourage selfsufficiency. The Refugee Office must report back to Congress by March 31. 1985. on the results of these projects and on recommendations regarding changes in the refugee assistance program to take into account the results of these pilot projects. I believe this bill is an improvement of the current law. It will give us data upon which to base future changes.