Legislators Ask Congress to Help State’s Economy : Government: The bipartisan delegation’s request for funds gets a discouraging response on Capitol Hill.

Two dozen California lawmakers, led by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, swarmed Capitol Hill on Tuesday pleading for federal funds to help the state’s crippled economy--and were told that the prospects are dim.

Several members of the bipartisan delegation appeared at a House subcommittee hearing to ask Congress to approve spending $1.1 billion to assist newly legalized immigrants. Some met privately with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Les Aspin (D-Wis.) to seek a fair share of $1 billion in expected Defense Department savings to replace an anticipated 420,000 California jobs lost to Pentagon cuts and base closings.

The legislators were assured by Rep. William H. Natcher (D-Ky.), chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on health and human services, that fulfilling commitments to deliver the immigrant funds “is a serious matter and we know it.”

But Rep. Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles) said the House Budget Committee recently approved only $561 million for the entire country next year--less than the $637 million Gov. Pete Wilson is seeking for California alone in his 1993 budget.

“It’s just a continuing cutback of services, which we all feared,” said Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles).

In their meeting with Aspin, the California lawmakers were told that the House is expected to approve spending $1 billion to retrain laid-off workers. But Aspin’s staff added a large qualifier: the Bush Administration opposes any such program.

Members of the state delegation said their annual visit gave them an opportunity to underscore the seriousness of California’s economic woes.

Assembly Majority Leader Thomas M. Hannigan (D-Fairfield) told members of the Appropriations subcommittee that California had a $5-billion budget shortfall in January that is expected to increase to $8 billion by the end of the fiscal year.

“The state simply cannot afford (more cuts),” he said.

Other issues addressed by the lawmakers included providing health care for California’s 6 million uninsured residents and finding ways to qualify for $58 million in federal job-training funds for welfare recipients. The state currently cannot meet a federal requirement that it contribute matching funds to qualify for the job-training money.

At the top of the delegation’s agenda was an effort to get Congress to restore $1.1 billion in cuts to the State Legalization Impact Assistance Grants program. Immigration reform legislation approved in 1986 set aside $1 billion a year over four years to allow states to provide medical, education and social programs for newly legalized immigrants.

But the Bush Administration and Congress approved no funding last year after providing partial funding in previous years. The Administration has proposed spending only $300 million nationwide next fiscal year.

California, with 1.6 million newly legalized immigrants, or 55% of the nation’s total, was particularly hard hit by the cuts.

The two dozen lawmakers will pay their own bills for the trip, said Jim Lewis, press secretary for Brown (D-San Francisco).

Assemblyman Stan Statham (R- Oak Run) used the trip to promote his proposal to divide California into two states. He appeared on several radio and television shows to explain how he qualified a ballot initiative to put the issue to a non-binding vote in 31 of the state’s 58 counties.

He said he discussed the plan with several congressmen. “They are stunned by the success and now want to get on board in some way,” Statham said. “Most of the rest of them want to keep their mouth shut.”