As a result of these initiatives. funding for programs that have already been proven effective in saving children will increase 30 percent above the 1991 level. and more than 40 percent above the Presidents request. Finally. for the first time the bill requires that a minimum of $135 million be spent on basic education programs. increases funding for AIDS prevention and control activities by 25 percent. and provides increases for a variety of other programs that benefit children. such as the Vitamin A Deficiency Program. Second. the bill makes a realistic commitment to deal with the problems of refugees and disaster victims. In past years the refugee and disaster accounts have been chronically underfunded. and the administration has had to borrow from other accounts or seek supplemental appropriations to meet essential needs. This promotes uncertainty and inefficiency. and therefore we have recommended $70 million for disaster assistance. up from $40 million last year. and $680 million for the refugee accounts. up from $520.6 million in the 1991 bill. Within the amount recommended for refugee assistance. we have also increased funding for overseas refugee programs from the current level of $233.4 to $315 million. The problem of chronic underfunding has been dramatized this year by events in Iraq. Bangladesh and Africa.
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refugee refugees