January 29, 1999
By Daniel Muñoz
Vice President Al Gore concluded
a two day swing through California, this past week, pledging programs
and monies, while looking to connect with the Hispanic community.
Among the various programs outlined, Gore pledged to restore benefits
for legal immigrants and to expand on the Hispanic Education Action
Plan.
Vice President Gore looking to bond with the Hispanic community, as he prepares to run for the Presidency in the year 2000, and other minorities announced that the White House will seek $1.3 billion over five years to restore disability, health, and nutrition benefits to legal immigrants. And $70 million in initiatives to expand English language classes for immigrant adults.
In announcing the proposed expansion of the Administration's Hispanic Education Action Plan, Gore outlined an additional $480 million to improve educational programs and institutions serving high concentrations of Hispanic students.
"There is nothing more important to America's future than investing in the education of all our people," Vice President Gore said. "Our initiative will help ensure that Hispanic students get the education they need and deserve in the 21st century."
In a press release the White House stated, the challenge of educating California's Hispanic students includes an action plan based on systemic change and high standards for programs and institutions serving large numbers of Hispanic students. Highlights of the budget proposal for this plan include:
• $320 million to strengthen basic reading and math skills, raise academic standards. All students must master the basic skills of reading and math. Funding for Title 1 will be increased by $320 million.
• $35 million to train more teachers and improve instruction to help students learn English and master their basic academic subjects. The funds will be used to increase federal programs for children with limited English skills and train more than 20,000 teachers to improve instruction for ESL students.
• $80 million to prepare disadvantage youth for success in college. An increase for federal programs, including Upward Bound, to fund outreach, counseling, and educational support.
• $44 million to improve education program for migrant youth and adults. The administration is seeking a $25 million increase in migrant ed; $6 million for the High School Equivalency Program; a $3 million increase for the College Assistance Migrant Program; and $10 million for a new Migrant Farmworker Youth program.
On Sunday, in San Diego, Gore announced a Clinton administration proposal to spend $128 million to diagnose poor readers and encourage programs that improve reading skills.
In San Francisco's Chinetown, on Monday, Gore announced that the White House will seek $1.3 billion over five years to restore disability, health and nutrition benefits to legal immigrants.
"Let us remember that here in America, as Franklin Roosevelt once reminded us, we are all descended from immigrants," Vice President Gore said. "We have an obligation to extend the full promise of America to those who have legally entered its gates. That is how we can truly fulfill the worlds of our founders, and become `one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'"
Last year, the Administration restored disability and health benefits to 420,000 legal immigrants who were in this country before welfare reform became law at an estimated cost of $11.5 billion. Gore announced that the Administration would continue to build on this progress. In particular:
• Restoring benefits for disability and health. This would restore eligibility for SSI and Medicaid to legal immigrants who enter the country after August 22, 1996 if they have been in the U.S. for five years and become disabled after entering the U.S.
• Nutritional assistance. The budget would extend Food Stamps to legal immigrants who came to the U.S. on August 22, 1996 who subsequently reach the age of 65 to be eligible for Food Stamps.
• Children's Health Care and Maternal Care for Pregnant Women. States currently can provide health coverage to immigrant children who entered the country before August 22, 1996. The President's FY2000 budget would give states the option to provide health coverage to legal immigrant children who enter the country after August 22, 1996. Furthermore, the budget proposes to give states the option to provide Medicaid coverage to legal immigrant women who entered the country after August 22, 1996 and subsequently became pregnant.
Concluding his trip in Sacramento Gore announced a $70 million White House initiative to expand English language classes for immigrant adults through access to high quality English language proficiency instruction.
Under the proposal, the $70 million would be available in competitive grants to States, community-based organizations, local education agencies, tribally-controlled schools, institutions of higher education, public libraries, and other non-profits. If approved, the initiative would teach 150,000 adult students.
Other programs proposed by Gore were an additional $336 million spend in job-creating information-technology research, and $305 million for programs for crime victims.
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