Andrea Joy Campbell: “Mr. Chairman, it is my hope that this will not be a controversial amendment at all. A bit of background. An amendment…”

“Mr. Chairman, it is my hope that this will not be a controversial amendment at all. A bit of background. An amendment was added to the original bill by my colleague and friend from California putting a restriction on the funding of any benefits where the Federal official in charge of distributing those benefits was aware that the recipient was an illegal alien, not legally present in the United States. To his own amendment, the gentleman from California added an exception, the exception being where the kind of service was appropriate to a medical emergency. But this language was not parallel with the language that is presently in conference in the immigration bill. That language covers not only medical emergencies but communicable diseases. I, therefore, went to the gentleman from California and asked whether he would have any objection to making his language conform to the language in the immigration bill by the addition of the language in my amendment. He informed me it was agreeable, and it is my hope that the minority will also find it agreeable.”