[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 98 (Thursday, July 18, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7030-S7031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE NATIONAL FARMWORKER JOBS PROGRAM

  Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I rise today to urge Congress to support 
full funding for the National Farmworker Jobs Program.
  Zeroing out funding for the National Farmworker Jobs Program as 
proposed in the Bush Administration's Fiscal Year 2003 budget would be 
wrong for our country and wrong for New Jersey. Close to 600 migrant 
workers make Cumberland County in southwestern New Jersey their 
permanent residence, with another 6,500 migrant workers estimated to 
arrive in the county for farm work each year. If the proposed cut is 
ultimately enacted, I am convinced that the quality of life for these 
workers and workers throughout the State and country will fall 
substantially.
  The National Farmworker Jobs Program was created in 1964 to address 
the specific problems migrant workers face. By the very nature of their 
employment, migrant workers often find

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themselves unemployed or underemployed, scraping by on an income well 
below the poverty line. Language and educational barriers often prevent 
these workers from receiving permanent employment or attaining economic 
self-sufficiency.
  Because their work takes them across various State and municipal 
borders, only a national program can address the problems faced by the 
migrant farmworker population. The National Farmworker Jobs Program 
provides housing, healthcare, and childcare assistance to workers they 
can remain employed and provide for their families. Considering that 
many of these hardworking families are not fluent in English, obtaining 
these services would otherwise be a daunting if not impossible task.
  The National Farmworker Jobs Program has assisted migrant workers 
with education and job training since its inception. It has also played 
an active role in job placement, minimizing the amount of time migrant 
workers remain unemployed. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, 85 
percent of the National Farmworker Jobs Program enrollees received 
services that enabled them to retain or enhance their agricultural 
employment or secure new jobs at better wages. And that is with a 
budget of just $80 million.
  The National Farmworker Jobs Program services a vital social role, 
and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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