Speech #1010031190

Mr. President. today I rise to express my opposition to a specific provision included in the Senates dire emergency supplemental appropriations bill. that threatens refugee resettlement efforts in California. Specifically. the Senate bill provides that. for the sole purpose of allocating refugee targeted assistance program [TAP] funds. the term "refugee" 3hall Include Nicaraguan entrants. While I understand that this provision was included in the bill at the administrations request to help alleviate the costs associated with the recent influx of Nicaraguans into certain communities. I do not believe the refugee targeted assistance fund Is an appropriate source of funds to relieve this situation. one created by political asylees. Targeted assistance is made available to communities with unusually high concentrations of refugees who require an increased level of resettlement assistance to promote economic selfsufficiency and to reduce dependency on public assistance programs. It Is important for Senators to note that targeted assistance funds are allocated to States and counties based on refugee welfare dependency rates over time. The provision in the supplemental bill to which I am objecting. instead. would allocate targeted assistance based on the sheer number of Nicaraguan entrants without reference to welfare dependency rates. This Is inconsistent with the stated purposes of the targeted assistance program. Mr. President. it Is clear that we have a responsibility to assist communities impacted by large influxes of refugees. Let me add that California is home to almost 50 percent of our Nations refugees and countless more legalized and illegal aliens. So. I do recognize. and I have advocated the need for Federal action in this area. But the proposal before us in the supplemental appropriations bill fails to recognize that the very communities who rely on targeted assistance would be penalized. This provision. illadvisedly. diverts direly needed funds from refugeeimpacted areas to assist other communities hit hard by the influx of Nicaraguans. who are political asylees. Communities in California. among others. will be forced. unfairly. to assume the financial burden that the Federal Government should rightfully pay. And that is patently unfair. Mr. President. Robbing Peter to pay Paul does nothing to alleviate the burden refugeeimpacted communities are faced with nor does it. in my opinion. provide any longterm relief to communities burdened by large numbers of Nicaraguan entrants. Whether they are Soviet Armenians and Southeast Asians or political asylees. this proposal means fewer targeted assistance resettlement dollars to States and local governments in need. I can assure my colleagues that the city of Fresno where there are some 38.000 Southeast Asian refugees12 percent of the populationcan illafford to sacrifice further Federal refugee resettlement ascistance. In the same respect. refugee resettlement in Los Angeles County has grown to over onefifth of the total refugee admissions into the United States. The cost of these refugees to the Ftate of California and the Counts of Los Angeles has more than tripled -ince 1983. while targeted assistance funding per refugee has dwindled to $171 per refugee versus $1.362 per refugee in fiscal year 1983. Diverting muchneeded funds from Los Angeles. as proposed in this provision. not only spells disaster for Los Angeles County. but for the thousands of refugees who need these services to ensure their own selfsufficiency. And In another respect as well. Mr. President. the administrations proposal before us today will cause very severe problems in the immediate days to come because the final fiscal year 1989 funding allocation notice for targeted assistance has not yet been published. This proposal. by changing the allocation formula. would further delay that funding allocation notice. meaning that States and counties will be unable to forecast their refugee services budget for the year. Without it. which is now the case. targeted assistance programs nationwide will be forced to close their doors as contracts expire. thus disrupting critical services and eliminating opportunities to reduce welfare dependency among refugees. Given that the Housepassed version of this supplemental appropriations bill is silent on this specific matter. I urge my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to eliminate this provision in conference.