[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 23, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 2646, FARM SECURITY ACT OF 2001

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                               speech of

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2002

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my 
friend, Representative Baca, and his motion to instruct farm bill 
conferees to restore food stamp benefits to immigrants.
  The Baca motion supports immigrants being allowed to apply for food 
stamps if they are low-income and have been in the United States for 5 
or more years. Children would also be eligible for food stamps 
regardless of when they entered the United States.
  In my congressional district, the restoration of food stamps benefits 
is very important. Everyday, many of my constituents, who often hold 
more than one job, wake up and go to work to provide for their 
families. Studies have shown that 43 percent of legal immigrants are 
working jobs that pay less than $7.50 an hour, with little increase in 
wage rates.
  Restoring these benefits would be inexpensive. In fact, the cost for 
restoring these benefits has already been built into the $6.4 billion 
allotment for the nutrition title in the farm bill.
  The diet of our nation's children and families, whether they were 
born in the United States or somewhere else, should be one of the most 
important considerations in this year's farm bill debate. Restoring 
food stamps benefits to immigrants would be a step in the right 
direction.
  While the Senate and House farm bill conferees continue to work hard 
to reconcile the differences in their farm bills, I urge them to 
consider the Baca motion and make restoring food stamps benefits to our 
hardworking immigrants a reality.

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