You and I sit on the Economic and Educational Opportunity Committee that considered and marked up a pertion of the welfare reform bill last week and the Republican version of the welfare reform bill. I had an amendment during that time that we did not got to that would have said. the bill obviously exempted anyone from any public service who is a legal resident. who is not a full citizen. I had an amendment that would have exempted legal immigrants. would have allowed them to be eligible for these programs if they at least paid taxes for five years over and above being a legal resident. We did not get to consider that amendment because. one. we had a twoday markup on probably the most important bill that we may see this session. and so our amendment was cut off. and I hope when we do get to that legislation in the next two weeks. we will see it. We also had an amendment that was available that maybe the Ways and Means Committee. in their section. will deal with it. But even a legal immigrant who is in the United States. who laid their life down maybe for our country would be ineligible for benefits under the bill that came out of our committee. I know the other committees may be addressing it. I hope they do so we do not have to tell a veteran in my district in Houston that may have fought in World War II. may be a legal citizen and yet they cannot go and have a senior citizen nutrition meal because they are not 79 years old.
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immigrant immigrants