I certainly appreciate the testimony that we have had here this morning on this migrant problem and would agree that it is a national problem and not one that can be isolated at the State level.

I am somewhat concerned and I would like to make a short statement and ask for a reaction. This is what has been said so often here this morning about revenue sharing and categorical grants.

In at least one statement I picked it up from Mr. Soriano of Michigan: "The unmet needs as determined by the State migrant office result from several basic conditions. The funds are strictly categorical."

Others state it must be operated by State agencies. And yet revenue sharing, I am concerned as you are, really in basic general terms is to try to move the authority away from the narrow categorical national program to a State agency operation.

And agreeing with your concern that if it is left to local districts, they have no constituency for migrants, I agree. But can we in this concept of trying to move more of the specific authority away from the massive problems of guidelines and paperwork and grant applications under the categorical problems toward more flexibility so far as you gentlemen are concerned in this migrant field, granting we may have to mandate that funds are going to go to migrant workers but leave more freedom at your level.

I would like to have some comments on that.

Mr. LOPEZ. I think some of the gentlemen behind me who have not had a chance to make a statement would like to address themselves to this question. Basically I think what we have been saying is the fact that there must be some national concern of the migrant youngsters because once a youngster leaves the State of California he travels to another State, nobody is going to pick him up. He says in our State 6 weeks or 6 months at the most and then he travels, so the national concern has to remain there with Federal funds.

Also the needs assessment have to be done under State level with the cooperation of the local school districts but in our State I have a continuous fight with my school districts who say, "Look, these kids come and go. Why don't you help them somewhere else?"

Some of them have suggested we set up migrant camp schools. They really resent us going in there and telling them you have to educate this youngster. So they will say and use any excuse such as the statements made by the principals in the GAO report.

These principals have had material sent to them and personal visits by research people and yet they wash their hands and say we don't know there is such a program. They are saying I don't care. That is what they are saying.

Everyone of those people interviewed by GAO, who were sick and tired of hearing about migrant kids, for them to make a statement they didn't know we existed was ridiculous because we were there continuously knocking on their door.

They finally got tired of it. We have a statement here from Virginia. [The statement referred to follows:]

in: