Speech #1090133846

I congratulate the Senator from New York on her amendment. One of the greatest scams the Federal Government has ever imposed upon taxpayers across the country is unfunded Federal mandates. and education costs and health care costs imposed by the Federal Government on local taxpayers without reimbursement is not only unfair. it is a scandal. The estimated annual costs to hospitals and other emergency providers of health care nationwide for undocumented immigrants or illegal aliens. which is mandated but not reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. is $1.45 billion a year. According to congressionally commissioned research. the annual cost to just 24 border counties in my State and in New Mexico and California exceeds $200 million a year. Texans spend more than $4 billion annually on education for the children of illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born siblings. About 12 percent of Texas schoolchildren in K through 12 are children of undocumented immigrants. Texas health care expenditures for illegal aliens are more than $520 million a year. All StatesNew York. Texas. and all 48 other States--bear the burden of unfunded mandates providing for the health and education of undocumented aliens because we have failed to enforce our immigration laws. Again. the Federal Government is twice culpable. No. 1. it imposes these costs on local taxpayers and local government. and No. 2. the very reason why they are incurred is because of the Federal Governments failure to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws. The Federal Government requires. under the IMTALA act. that hospitals treat every person. irrespective of their immigration status. But then Congress fails to secure the border and our local hospitals have become overrun. So while the Government requires hospitals to treat everyone. the Government then fails in its own responsibility to secure the borders or reimburse those health care providers for carrying out their federally mandated obligations. The bill before the Senate fails to reimburse States for the costly burden placed upon their health care system and education system by undocumented immigrants. For example. recent reports are that 70 percent of the children born at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. TX. are born to undocumented immigrants. What will my amendment do? The current Senate bill does not reimburse State and local governments for health care and education costs related to the millions of undocumented immigrants. While the underlying bill creates a State impact assistance account for future temporary workers. it is an unfunded account. The Cornyn amendment would impose a surcharge on any illegal alien who applies for legal status under this bill.