Roybal-Allard RSS Articles

Congress Passes Extension of Unemployment Benefits

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) voted to stimulate the local economy and provide stability to families hit hardest by the recession by extending unemployment benefits, the homebuyers’ tax credit, and tax relief for military families and businesses.

The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (HR 3548) now heads to the President for his signature. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 403 to 12. The Senate passed the legislation November 4 by a vote of 98 to 0.

The legislation will extend relief to millions of workers, families, and businesses nationwide.

“With unemployment in California at 12.2 percent in September, among the highest in the nation, the unemployment extension of 20 weeks included in this legislation provides critical relief to families struggling to buy groceries and make their mortgage payments,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said. “I am also pleased the legislation continues to encourage first-time homeownership through the extension of the homebuyer tax credit. Both of these efforts are essential to strengthening the housing market and our economy.”

The Congressional Budget Office has cited unemployment benefits as one of the most cost-effective forms of economic stimulus, and every dollar spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.63 in new demand, according to Moody’s chief economist Mark Zandi.
The legislation will provide families in all states with 14 weeks of additional benefits, and six more weeks to the 27 states with the highest unemployment rates, including California.

The bill includes an extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit through April 30, 2010 and provides a $6,500 credit to these homeowners who have lived in their current residence for five years or more. It also helps military families struggling to make mortgage payments by making those payments tax-exempt.

To breathe life back into American businesses suffering from huge losses, this bill also allows U.S. companies to carry back losses incurred in either 2008 or 2009 against income earned in any of the five prior years.

HINI Influenza Briefing before Health Appropriations Subcommittee

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

A member of the Appropriations Health Subcommittee, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) participated in a subcommittee briefing about the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic. During the briefing, the panel heard testimony and asked questions of public health leaders at the center of the HINI response, including Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To watch excerpts from the hearing, please see Videos on this web site.

The congresswoman asked Dr. Frieden about vaccine shortages in Los Angeles and throughout the country.

“We are seeing in the news media the daily pictures of people standing in long lines for hours trying to get vaccinated, only to be turned away as limited vaccine supplies run out,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said to the panel during the briefing. “In Los Angeles County about 5.5 million people fall into priority categories for getting vaccinated, but only about 50,000 people were vaccinated in the first week after the county clinic opened, and many were turned away because vaccine supplies ran short Public health experts have repeatedly told us that once people are turned away, it is hard to get them to come back to be vaccinated. Have the early supply shortages seriously damaged the goal of vaccinating all Americans? Where do you think the point of balance is between your public messaging intended to raise public awareness about the dangers of H1N1, which raises demand for the vaccine, and the current limited supply of vaccine?”

Dr. Frieden agreed with the congresswoman that it’s hard to get people back to be vaccinated once they’ve been turned away.

“As you point out, any time someone comes to a doctor’s office or goes to a vaccination site and there is not vaccine available, the likelihood that they return to that site is less than we wish it would be and that is why we’re so frustrated to not have the amount of vaccine available when people want to get vaccinated,” Dr. Frieden said. “Our goal has always been that vaccine should be available to anyone who wants to be vaccinated starting with the priority groups, understanding that many people will choose not to be vaccinated and that is their choice. There is no mandatory vaccination as part of this. We’re currently at 32.3 million doses available for ordering and distribution. It is not nearly where we would like it to be … But absolutely, the fact that there is not vaccine currently in providers’ offices when people want to get vaccinated means that some of those people who want to get vaccinated and would benefit from it, in all likelihood unfortunately will not get vaccinated in the future,” Dr. Frieden concluded.

According to the CDC, the HINI vaccine will become more widely available in December. The CDC is recommending that individuals in high risk categories get vaccinated at the earliest time possible. This category includes: pregnant women; people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age; health care and emergency medical services personnel; persons between the ages of 6 months to 24 years; and persons ages 25 to 64 years of age who have chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems. For more information about the HINI flu, please visit www.flu.gov

Lawmakers Speak Out Against Damaging Proposal to Add an Immigration-Related Question on Census Form

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Last week, Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) introduced an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (HR 2847) which would require that the 2010 Census include a question about the immigration or citizenship status of census participants.

Below is a statement from Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard about the damaging ramifications of the Vitter-Bennett amendment to the successful implementation of the 2010 Census.

“I find it very disappointing that some of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate would seek to use the Census to promote the politics of discrimination,” said Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34). “The Vitter amendment would simply put up stumbling blocks to getting an accurate count. Full participation in the Census is essential to every community in this nation. I encourage my fellow lawmakers to reject the Vitter amendment and promote full Census participation in their states.”

For more information about this amendment, please visit http://www.naleo.org/pr/pr10-16-09.html.

10th Annual Service Academy Workshop in Downey

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) welcomed area students and parents to her 10th Annual Service Academies Workshop held at Downey City Library. At the event, service academy representatives met with area students and parents to discuss the academy’s admission requirements and application process. Following a highly competitive admissions process that includes a nomination from the congresswoman, academy students receive a free college education in return for serving at least five years in the military after graduation. Representatives from all five of our nation’s service academies – the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy – were in attendance. A Downey native, Midshipman Evan Messiha – who was one of the congresswoman’s nominees – shared his experiences attending the U.S. Naval Academy. For more information about the application or nomination process, please call the congresswoman's Los Angeles office at (213) 628-9230 or visit her web site at www.house.gov/roybal-allard and click Resources for Students. Pictured from left to right: Mr. Sam Messiha of Downey (Evan’s father and U.S. Naval Academy Blue & Gold Officer); Army 2nd Lt. Sam Messiha (Mr. Messiha’s son and Evan’s brother); Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34); and U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman Evan Messiha.

Op-ed:Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about this epidemic and renew our commitment to ending it. As a nation, we must recognize the very real danger of domestic violence in our communities and acknowledge the importance that our national economy has on the incidents of violence in the home.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in any given year, women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes. Men experience 2.9 million intimate partner-related assaults each year.

Making matters worse, the recession’s wake has left more families in danger as unemployment, home foreclosures and bankruptcies compound the stress on already strained relationships. A June Chicago Tribune headline sums up what experts agree is a national trend: “Domestic violence reports on the rise; Demand for support services reaches a peak as the economic downturn drives up the desperation that can lead to abuse.”

The National Domestic Violence Hotline, which takes approximately 21,000 calls a month, reported a 13 percent increase in calls from October 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009. In addition, when the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence surveyed state domestic violence coalitions this September, they reported shelters filled to capacity with residents who were in need of longer stays and who had experienced more severe forms of violence. In some areas, the coalitions even reported increased domestic violence-related homicide rates.

And while the need for services is increasing, budget constraints at all levels of government and in the non-profit sector have taken a toll on critical programs available to assist families impacted by domestic violence.

Nationwide, domestic violence programs – including the National Domestic Violence Hotline – have lost sizeable portions of their operating budgets. Many states have slashed their budgets and both corporate and private donations are down. As a result, domestic violence programs are in financial peril and struggling to provide needed services.

Programs turn first to letting staff go. Prevention programs are next, denying a generation of youth the opportunity to begin their life in safe and healthy relationships. Last, services to victims are painstakingly reduced or eliminated.

In California, Governor Schwarzenegger terminated the entire state budget for domestic violence. Since then, nine California shelters have closed. Programs, such as Peace Over Violence in Los Angeles, report what programs are experiencing nationwide: reduced staff and greater need.

In order to truly address this crisis and help families, domestic violence programs must have adequate funding to continue their life-saving work.

Congress can make an enormous difference in filling the gaps left by these budget cuts by fully funding the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). Enacted by Congress in 1984, FVPSA provides funding for critical domestic violence services including shelters, crisis lines, counseling, safety planning and other vital assistance to victims and their families. These essential services rebuild lives, creating safe homes and communities.

In addition, passage of the Security and Financial Empowerment Act (SAFE) is critical to assisting domestic violence victims by allowing them to take unpaid leave from work to address their needs without fear of losing their jobs. It would also allow victims to qualify for unemployment benefits if they leave a job or are fired as a result of taking time off to seek medical services, find housing or attend court proceedings.

This month and throughout the year, we have to reflect on our national priorities and place more emphasis on creating safe homes and communities for our families. The many rewards of this commitment – including saving lives – far outweigh the costs.

Background about the authors:

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) is a longtime advocate on behalf of survivors of domestic violence. In the California State Assembly, where she served three terms, the congresswoman won passage of legislation that strengthened the legal definition of “consent,” as it relates to victims of sexual assault. She authored a law that requires state courts to consider a batterer’s history of domestic violence during child custody hearings. She was also the original author of legislation outlawing spousal rape in California. Since entering the U.S. House of Representatives, the congresswoman continues to be a lead advocate on behalf of survivors of domestic violence. She has introduced the Security and Financial Empowerment Act (SAFE Act) to help survivors maintain their financial independence in every Congress since 1996. Her provision creating a National Resource Center on Workplace Responses to Domestic Violence was enacted into law as part of the Violence Against Women Act of 2005. In recognition of her efforts to assist survivors of domestic violence, the congresswoman has been honored by many advocacy organizations, including the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, the Volunteers of East Los Angeles/Voices Against Violence Campaign, the East Los Angeles Women’s Center and the Los Angeles County Commission for Women (LACCW). More information about the congresswoman is available by visiting her web site at www.house.gov/roybal-allard.

Rita Smith began working as a crisis line advocate in a shelter for battered women and their children in Colorado in 1981. She has held numerous positions in Colorado and Florida since then in several local programs and the state coalitions, including Program Supervisor and Director. She is currently the Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, where she has been working since late 1992. She has been interviewed by hundreds of newspaper reporters, appeared on many local and national radio and television news shows, including the Washington Post, USA Today, People Magazine, NPR, Today Show, Good Morning America and Oprah Winfrey Show. She has co-authored a legal manual for attorneys working with domestic violence victims in Colorado, and in the fall of 1997, co-authored an article on child custody and domestic violence published in The Judges Journal (an American Bar Association publication). She believes that advocacy and social change are intricately connected, and cannot be done separately.

October 15 is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

In observance of the seventh annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) on October 15, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) called for greater unity throughout our communities in confronting the HIV epidemic and the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

“We must join together with a united voice to confront the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and to ensure that Latinos and all HIV infected persons have access to quality treatment and care,” said Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, who is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Care Task Force and a senior member of the Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for funding federal health programs. “This epidemic disproportionately impacts the Hispanic community, and studies have shown that Latinos with HIV/AIDS face greater barriers to accessing care than their white counterparts. As we observe National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, it is critical to recommit ourselves to ensuring that Latinos and all HIV infected persons are treated with respect and receive the information, testing, treatment and care they need in a compassionate and culturally appropriate manner.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of new HIV infections among Latinos is two and a half times greater than the infection rate among whites. Moreover, 40% of Latinos nationwide with HIV develop AIDS within one year of their diagnosis, their immune system already severely compromised with an HIV-related opportunistic infection or disease.

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard pointed out that “this alarming trend is even more severe in Los Angeles County where nearly 70% of Latinos with HIV develop AIDS within one year.” She added that “the rate of advanced HIV progression among Latinos is almost double the national average and limited access to prevention and care, cultural barriers, language barriers, and immigration status contribute to this disparity.”

In its seventh year, National Latino Aids Awareness Day is an effective tool to increase awareness and prevention within Latino communities. This community mobilizing campaign, held each year in commemoration of the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, seeks to bring about improvements in HIV/AIDS health care by raising awareness, promoting HIV testing, disseminating prevention strategies and connecting Latinos to crucial health care services. In 2008, the National Latino Aids Awareness Day was supported by 380 partners who together organized 160 events in 101 cities across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This year’s theme, “United We Can Stop HIV and Prevent AIDS” - Unidos Podemos Detener el VIH y Prevenir el SIDA, speaks to the importance of working together as a united community to foster collaboration and improve the accessibility of quality HIV/AIDS services to Latino communities throughout the U.S.

For more information regarding National Latino AIDS Awareness Day activities in your area, please visit the website at www.nlaad.org

A Meeting with the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) commended Alejandro Mayorkas, the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, for initiating the transition to a fully automated application process for immigration benefits as well as his leadership to improve the agency’s customer service.

Hearing About the Needs of Federal Correctional Officers

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) meets with Manuel Borquez, Jr. (shown left) and Jason Hermens, both of whom are federal prison guards, to discuss the need for increased federal support for federal prisons, especially to hire additional federal correctional officers.

Bravo Medical Magnet High School freshman Cynthia Cervantes Lobbies for Scleroderma Research

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Bravo Medical Magnet High School freshman Cynthia Cervantes meets with Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) on behalf of the Scleroderma Foundation to ask for her support of federal research efforts into the disease that causes Cynthia’s skin and internal organs to stiffen. The congresswoman first met Cynthia last year when she testified before the Appropriations Health Subcommittee, on which the congresswoman sits, about her experiences coping with scleroderma. The rare autoimmune disease affects about 300,000 Americans. Cynthia’s father is also pictured.

PRICE, ROYBAL-ALLARD APPLAUD REFORMS PROPOSED FOR IMMIGRATION DETENTION SYSTEM

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman David Price (D-NC) and Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) today applauded Secretary Janet Napolitano’s efforts to overhaul the nation’s immigration detention system. The Secretary of Homeland Security announced a series of changes to existing immigration detention practices today, following a review of the immigration detention system spearheaded by Dora Schriro, the former advisor to the Secretary on immigration enforcement policy. Many of the proposed improvements, such as expanding the Alternatives to Detention program and strengthening the oversight and management of detainee health care, are measures Price and fellow Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee members had been seeking for years.

“I have been concerned about detention conditions and health services for detainees since taking over as Chairman of the subcommittee, and we have held multiple hearings into the topic,” said Rep. Price. “It is important to realize that the population brought under the custody of ICE includes families, women, children, and asylum seekers – in addition to serious criminals and felons. It only makes sense that immigration authorities should handle each individual in a way that is consistent with the flight risk they pose or threatening behavior they have shown in the past. I am pleased the Department has decided to address this issue, and look forward to receiving more information about how the improvements announced today will be implemented.”

Earlier this year, Price held a hearing on the health services for individuals in immigration custody, where he highlighted the deficiencies in the current system and called for the administration to address the problems in the system.

Price also worked with fellow subcommittee member Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) to include strong language on the handling of detention operations and the treatment of special populations detained in the Homeland Security Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010 (H.R. 2892), which passed the House in June. Excerpts from the bill’s report language can be found below.

“I join Chairman Price in commending the administration’s determination to reform America’s broken detention system,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) said. “For too long our unjust detention policies have permitted ongoing abuse and neglect of detainees across this sprawling network of facilities. By strengthening standards and expanding alternatives to incarceration for immigrants who don’t pose a threat to their communities, as Chairman Price and I have proposed, Secretary Napolitano is adopting a more humane framework to guide the treatment of the detainees in our custody. I welcome her thoughtful approach to this complex issue and I look forward to the Department’s continuing efforts to reshape our detention system to better reflect America’s commitment to due process and equal justice under the law for everyone.”

From the House Report Accompanying H.R. 2892,
The Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010

ICE CUSTODY OPERATIONS
The Committee provides $1,771,168,000 for ICE custody operations, as requested, which is $49,900,000 over the 2009 appropriations level. This increase will allow ICE to maintain an aggregate annual detention capacity for 33,400 individuals, and funds the full-year salaries and benefits for staff added to Detention and Removals Operations over the past several years. At this point, ICE detention capacity is at the highest level in the agency's history, having grown more than 67 percent since 2002. While there will always be need for ICE to detain individuals who are apprehended while in the country illegally, the Committee believes that further expansion of ICE detention must be based on a rigorous analysis illustrating what compelling need will be met by placing yet more individuals in Federal custody. Furthermore, given that ICE has been unable to implement a nation-wide Alternatives to Detention program despite strong interest and increased funding from the Congress, the Committee questions whether ICE is adequately and equitably evaluating the need to detain every individual the agency apprehends, particularly those without criminal histories and who do not pose a flight risk. At a minimum, until ICE can prove that its low-risk detainees have nation-wide access to supervision programs or bonded parole, the Committee will remain skeptical of expanding detention capacity further.

MEDICAL CARE FOR ICE DETAINEES
A recent GAO report (GAO 09-308R) highlighted differences in the structure and quality of care provided across ICE detention facilities. In particular, the GAO analysis revealed varying degrees of ICE oversight of contract agreements with non-Federal detention providers, and highlighted the potential for inadequate or inconsistent medical care across the ICE detention system. Further, GAO noted the absence of almost any performance data about ICE detainees' medical conditions or treatments. The Committee believes that if ICE must detain individuals in government custody, it should do so in a manner that provides all detainees equal access to necessary medical care, regardless of the location at which they are held. In addition, ICE detention staff should maintain detailed medical information about the health of their detained populations, not only to better inform management and investment decisions by ICE executives, but also to guard against the outbreak of epidemics and to identify emerging medical needs. The Committee directs ICE to report within 30 days of the end of each quarter of the fiscal year on actions it has taken to address inadequacies in its medical services to detainees.

The Committee is especially concerned about cases of detainee death where it appears detainees did not receive appropriate emergency medical treatment or continuing medical care. The Committee directs the Department to review its medical care standards for all detention facilities, specifically evaluating the enforceability of current standards. Additionally, the Department should revise any standards that do not ensure appropriate medical treatment, the ability to access counsel and family, effective medical grievance procedures, or any other standards necessary for humane treatment of detainees. The Committee also directs the Department to notify the Congress and the DHS IG within 48 hours of any death that occurs in ICE custody.

DETENTION STANDARDS OVERSIGHT AND COMPLIANCE
The Committee supports ICE's proposal to expand the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and Detention Facilities Inspection Group (DFIG), and provides an additional $12,400,000 for these programs in 2010, as requested. These funds will support deployment of DFIG personnel to ICE field offices throughout the country, growth of the OPR Management Investigations Unit, and associated mission support costs. As a means improve compliance with ICE performance standards, the Committee continues a provision prohibiting ICE expenditure of funds for any contracted detention facilities that receive two consecutive evaluations of less than `acceptable' or the equivalent median score of any subsequent evaluation system, a requirement established by the fiscal year 2009 Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

The Committee understands that ICE is considering restructuring and possibly renaming the DFIG and other detention oversight programs. The Comittee directs ICE to work with the Department's Chief Financial Officer to ensure this restructuring complies with all applicable provisions in the fiscal year 2009 Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

DEPORTATION OF PARENTS OF U.S.-BORN CHILDREN
In February 2009, the DHS IG estimated that more than 100,000 parents of U.S.-born children were deported from the country between 1998 and 2007. The IG also reported that ICE does not consistently track information about the U.S.-born children of those it deports. As a result, the Committee directs ICE to begin collecting data to track: the number of instances in which both parents of a particular child were removed; the length of time a parent lived in the United States before removal; and whether the U.S. citizen children remained in the United States after the parents' removal. ICE should provide this data annually to the Office of Immigration Statistics, as well as to Congress with the annual budget submission.

ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION
The Committee provides $73,913,000 for ICE Alternatives to Detention programs, which is $10,000,000 more than requested. The Committee continues to recognize the value of Alternatives to Detention programs which have yielded a 98-percent appearance rate at immigration proceedings. When properly implemented and managed, Alternatives to Detention programs augment ICE's regular detention capacity and provide a cost effective means of accounting for individuals accused of being in the country illegally but who do not require administrative custody during their immigration proceedings. The Committee is very concerned that ICE has not complied with the 2009 Appropriations Act, which required the agency to submit a plan for nation-wide deployment of the Alternatives to Detention program by January 5, 2009. The Committee directs ICE to submit this plan immediately.

As a matter of principle, DHS should use the least restrictive and least costly means required to supervise individuals in removal proceedings. Whenever practical and appropriate, individuals who cannot be paroled without supervision or on bond should be enrolled in Alternatives to Detention programs, particularly those that are community-based and which emphasize the personal responsibility of the individual. These programs, which cost less per day than detention, are a more humane method for monitoring individuals who may have legitimate immigration claims but for whom detention is unreasonably burdensome, such as asylum seekers, families, and the elderly.
The Committee has heard significant concerns from immigrant advocates about how ICE is using electronic monitoring programs for individuals who would otherwise be eligible for release on parole or bond, or would be eligible to enroll in intensive supervision programs that are not based on technology. The Committee directs ICE to develop a benefit-cost analysis of its various Alternatives to Detention approaches, and include this information in the 2011 budget submission for the program.

CHILD AND FAMILY DETENTION
The Committee believes that detention is not generally appropriate for families and is concerned that the Department does not routinely make Alternatives to Detention available to families it takes into custody. In addition, while the Committee is pleased that ICE developed and implemented detention standards for families held in its custody, it remains concerned that ICE family detention standards are based on adult prison standards. The Committee directs the Department to prioritize the use of Alternatives to Detention program for families who do not need to be held in immigration detention. The Committee further directs the Office of Professional Responsibility to conduct a review of families detained in ICE custody since 2007 and determine whether ICE complied with its own internal guidance for when to hold families in custody and when to release them to Alternatives to Detention programs. The Committee directs ICE to report on the results of this review no later than the submission of the 2011 budget.

In addition, the Committee has heard reports of ICE prosecutors inappropriately using personal information about children when presenting cases in immigration court, such as medical records and psychological reviews. The Committee directs ICE to respect the privacy and confidentiality of detained children's case information, including privileged medical, psychological and social worker reports, and only to request access to those files when relevant to the case.

INAPPROPRIATE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN IN ICE CUSTODY
In last year's appropriation report, the Committee directed ICE to report quarterly on any incidents involving strip searches of children, placement of children in restraints, or use of disciplinary weapons against children. ICE has not provided the Committee any report on these techniques, indicating that they have not been used to date in fiscal year 2009. As a result, the Committee directs ICE to review the necessity of retaining these practices within its child detention standards, and update the Committee on any changes to the policies by November 2, 2009. In addition, ICE is directed to continue to provide reports 30 days after the end of each quarter of the fiscal year on any incidents involving strip searches of children, placement of children in restraints, or use of disciplinary weapons against children.
As in past years, the Committee provides no funding for ICE bone and dental forensic examinations to determine the age of children in ICE custody. This questionable methodology is not based on credible scientific principles, and puts children at risk of erroneous classification as adults and transfer to adult detention centers. The Committee directs the IG to continue to review ICE practices for determining the age of those in its custody, and to report to the Committees on Appropriations on any cases where ICE uses bone or dental forensic examinations.

TRANSPORTATION OF UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHILDREN
In the 2009 Appropriations Act, the Committee directed ICE, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine the appropriate agency for managing child transportation between DHS and HHS custody. To date, the Committee has not received this report, which has apparently been under review at the Department of Health and Human Services for several months. As a result, the Committee expects ICE will continue to pay for the cost of child transportation between DHS and HHS custody until the agencies determine the appropriate method for funding this activity.

HUMANITARIAN REVIEW OF IMMIGRATION ARRESTS
The Committee continues to support ICE's policies that allow for humanitarian review of those arrested in worksite enforcement actions affecting 150 or more individuals. Many who have been arrested in past worksite enforcement actions were primary care givers to infant children or elderly parents, meaning their detention would have harmed those unable to care for themselves. The Committee continues to believe ICE should expand this policy to cover all worksite enforcement activities. If ICE is unable to expand this policy, it must brief the Committee no later than November 2, 2009, about the impediments to doing so.

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