Speech #1020108595

President. I am pleased to join my colleague. Senator KENNEDY. in introducing legislation to reauthorize the Domestic Resettlement Programs of the Refugee Act of 1980. This legislation provides for a 6year reauthorization of the programs established to facilitate the integration of refugees admitted from abroad into our economy and our society. This relatively long reauthorization period is justified. I believe. by the important substantive changes that the legislation would make. It is the goal of this legislation to solve the most serious problems that now face our Refugee Resettlement Program: First. lingering welfare dependency problems of refugees in certain States. and second. declining Federal reimbursement of State and local resettlement costs during an era of high refugee admissions. First. the legislation would require the executive branch to inform Congress earlier in the year about its plans for admitting refugees in the next fiscal year. If the executive branch decides to admit more refugees than it had earlier budgeted for admission. then it must inform Congress of where resources for the additional refugee admissions will be found. Second. the legislation would elevate the Office of Refugee Resettlement witin the Department of Health and Human Services from the lower depths that it now inhabits to the Office of the Secretary. The Office Director would be given Administrator status. similar to that now given to the Administrator of Aging. I firmly believe that this move will enhance the attention that our refugee resettlement programs deserve. Third. the bill would insert more flexibility and efficiency into the process by which State governments now apply for and receive Federal dollars to help resettle refugees. Refugee resettlement is a shared FederalState responsibility. Therefore. a minimum of bureaucracy should be interjected into the FederalState relationship. and this bill will reduce and simplify current administrative requirements for State governments. Finally. this bill would require a system of case management in those States where there are: First. sizable refugee populations. and second. substantial refugee welfare dependency problems. The case management system requires greater accountability of refugees to the providers of services to those refugees. Many refugee experts believe that case management will lead to a significantly lower level of refugee welfare dependency. Because refugee welfare dependency problems have persisted over the past 10 years. I believe it is time to try innovative and novel approaches to promoting economic selfsufficiency. I do have some reservations about the plan created by this legislation. and I would encourage comment on this bills proposal by interested parties.