Speech #990050296

and the voluntary agencies have come to a mutually acce.ptable agreement on this very important point. and as a consequence this bill is now well on its way to becoming law. I am also pleased that the concerns of the Foreign Affairs Committee have been met. and that it has been agreed that any need fur additional funding as a result of the Lungren compromise will come. if at all. in the form of a separate request. This bill takes several important steps toward greater accountability on the subject of refugee resettlement. The voluntary agencies. which in my estimation have made enormous contributions of their own time and money in an effort to fulfill what they see as their international humanitarian obligation. have again and again expressed a willingness to accept Federal review of their performance. Their work with refugees represents a costeffective exunple of a successful Government/private sector initiative which benefits huge numbers of people. Of course. the dependency rate among refugees who have been in this country 3 years or less is much higher than it should be. and HR. 1452 does much to slow it down. But the reality of sometimes extraordinary cultural gaps among refugees is one which we in the Congress must recognize. and it is a factor which unfortunately adversely influences the rate of assimilation. Mr. Chairman. this is an important stepping stone in establishing a responsible immigration and refugee policy. it is only one of many elements in such a comprehensive immigration policy. I can only hope that it is the precursor of the floor consideration of a comprehensive immigration bill before the conclusion of this Congress. and I urge its prompt adoption.