Two opinions by the Comptroller Ceneral and a decision by a Federal district court have since affirmed that the disputed $11.5 million ought to be released. As it is stated in the conference report on 11.11. 3424. which is incorporated into the continuing resolution. house Joint Resolution .165. "while the initial dispute over these funds may have been based on an honest disagreement * I * this is no longer the case." Thus. the conference report makes clear that the funds should be released. I have just learned that. in fact. some of the impacted counties in California have received funds to provide the services so critically needed to assist the large numbers of refugees that have settled in my State. The continuing resolution also seeks to avert any similar confusion about the funding level for refugee targeted assistance in fiscal year 1986. It specifically sets the amount at $50 million. Language contained in the conference report on iiR. 3424 notes that the fiscal year 1985 funds that were not released by the end of the fiscal year. that is. the $11.5 million. are not to be counted as a 1985 carryover balance to be subtracted from the 1986 appropriation. It is expected that there will be no question about the proper interpretation of such language. I believe strongly that targeted assistance to significantly impacted areas Is a necessary component of our Federal responsibil. ity. This program is particularly important to California. where almost onehalf of all Indochinese refugees now reside. and which has 13 counties that the Office of Refugee Resettlement has determined are impacted by refugee resettlement. The program has been successfully implemented in the State and has proved to be the most effective Federal employment program in reducing welfare dependency in the State. I ask all my colleagues to support. not only these refugee assistance provisions. but the entire bill.
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Refugee refugee refugees