Gary Condit: “by the end of the fiscal year, nearly 150 Hmong refugees will be reunited with their families in the 18th Congressional…”

“by the end of the fiscal year, nearly 150 Hmong refugees will be reunited with their families in the 18th Congressional District of California. It is morally right for us to allow these families to be reunified after decades of separation. However, it is morally imperative that the Federal Government assure the communities of the resettlement that their new residents will not place undue strain on already scarce local resources. Unfortunately in the past, this commitment has never been fully met. The underlying law, which establishes cash and medical assistance to refugees, provides such assistance to continue for 36 months. The appropriations bill before us today provides assistance for only 8 months. For many refugees unfamiliar with life in the United States, 8 months of assistance is simply not enough. The 8 months ends, but the need remains for much longer. Invariably, it is the State and local communities which are left to fill the void. This is unacceptable. The amendment which I offer today would increase refugee cash and medical assistance levels to the point at which they would reach their 36-month threshold authorized in law. In reality, the need is much greater, even than that, even than my amendment today, Mr. Chairman, proposes. Many refugees require aid as long as they live here.”