biking and walking. • Organize with others to identify local sources of air pollution (such as a factory) and work to control them. To learn more • Information about how to conserve energy is available from the National Appropriate Technology Assistance Service (NATAS) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Their toll free number is 1-800-428-2525. (In Montana, call 1800-428-1718.) • For more ideas about how to prevent ozone depletion, contact the Environmental Defense Fund at (212) 505-2100. Board of Directors Angela Glover Blackwell F. Warren Hellman Allan K. Jonas Hon. Cruz Reynoso George Roberts ael Tollia Jaunes Steyer Urban Strategies Council Hellman & Friedman Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue Beatrice/Hunt-Wesson Inc. Riordan & McKinzie Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Halcyon Days Productions What is Children Now? Children Now is a California-based children's advocacy organization. Children Now acts as a strong and consistent voice for all children, but places particular emphasis on children and families who are poor or at risk. The organization's goal is to educate the public about the needs of children and to generate increased resources for effective programs that serve them. Through a combination of policy development, media/communications strategies and community outreach efforts, Children Now has pioneered a variety of programs designed to make children's issues a top state and national priority. All of Children's Now's efforts promote an integrated and preventive approach to investing in children, and are designed to build partnerships among policymakers, the private sector, service providers, parents and concerned volunteers. Children Now produces innovative print and video materials that help focus attention on children and on ways to help them. In addition, Children Now issues an annual California state legislative agenda for children, serves as a media resource clearinghouse on children and family issues, and spearheads outreach efforts to alert low-income families to services and programs that exist to help them and their children. Children Now was founded in 1988. The organization's accomplishments include The 1989 Report Card on How California Treats its Children, an increase in California state funds allocated towards preventive health screenings for lowincome children, and the first ever statewide public opinion poll of California voters' attitudes towards children. Children Now has also sparked a variety of media reports about children and family issues, and works closely with service providers and advocates to increase resources for children and families. Children Now has offices in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento, California. Supporters include Apple Inc, Arco, AT & T, Gerbode, Hewlett, Irvine, Rockefeller, Rosenberg, San Francisco and Stuart Foundations. Children Now 10951 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 (213) 470-2444 663 13th Street Oakland, CA 94612 (415) 763-2444 926 "J" Street Suite 413 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 441-2444 Permission to copy, disseminate or otherwise use this work is normally granted as long as ownership is properly attributed to Children Now. ©1990, Children NowTM Chairman MILLER. Thank you. Obviously, in many of these instances, children need agents on their behalf. And the most readily available one is the parent. But I guess one of the questions I have is, how do you go about this education process of parents? You know, with respect to maybe the most outstanding dangers that people identify in terms of garden sprays, and household sprays, and others that may be kept under the sink, and whathave-you. You kind of relate to not telling your children not to go near them, or you store them in some other place. But with the more, less obvious exposures and potential for danger, how do you plan to get to parents to explain this to them? Because they are, in fact, the agents for certainly the very young children. Ms. HUGHES. That was one of our aims of preparing this book, was to provide that kind of information in a way in which parents might confront the problems. We organized the threats that children face in terms of the context in which they are likely to be exposed so that both parents and others can begin to understand, to identify the problems and then find the solutions, removing them from the context in which they appear. It is an ongoing process, and there are a number of people that are working around the country to inform parents about the threats that their children face. And the conference tomorrow is one more step, because pediatricians have an important role in informing parents and children about threats that exist. I think that there is another step that we have to take, though. And that is to encourage parents to become involved in the political process, both in communities on a local level, to organize among their friends, to share information about potential threats, to work with school boards to remove hazards that exist in the schools. But also to ensure that our public representatives have made the same commitment the parents make to ensure the health and safety of their children. Chairman MILLER. Barbara. Mrs. BOXER. As you were talking, and as Mr. Miller was questioning you, I like the way you present your paper. It is very clear. And you are saying, "Let's follow a child around: where the child lives, where the child goes to school, where the child plays." And some of these lend themselves to public policy, such as where the child goes to school and where the child plays in a public playground. So it seems to me, Mr. Chairman, what we might want to see, is if there are ways coming out of this hearing, we could put together some kind of a program, maybe a model program, for grants to go to school districts to assist them in making these assessments. And an action plan so that we know things will be taken care of. We did it with asbestos removal. The money was very slow in coming, but at least it got it started. So I just want to thank you for your testimony. It was very clear. And it seems to me cities have got grants where we said, "Do an assessment of your playgrounds, and let us know if it is safe. And if it is not, what will it take, and how can we help?" It may be a way for the Federal Government to be the impetus in this type of a clean-up. Mr. STARK. Mr. Chairman, I do not have any questions. I just wanted to thank Ms. Hughes and Mr. Steyer. I was particularly impressed by their focusing on risks to poorer children. And I think very dramatically pointing out that this is not a problem that children are going to solve; it is a problem that we have to solve for them. And thanks very much for your concern and your interesting testimony. Mr. STEYER. Thank you very much. And we hope we will be following up on this, both as Children NOW and with our colleagues among the committee, and also in the environmental movement. So thank you very much. Chairman MILLER. Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. The next panel will be made up of Ramona and Gonzolo Ramirez, who are farmworkers from Earlimart, California. And they will be accompanied by Ciro Cuellar, who is a member of the Earlimart Cancer Task Force in Earlimart, California, and Dr. Salvador Sandoval, who is the General Practitioner at the Childs Avenue Health Center in Merced, California, and Tomas Hill, who is the Director of the Tri-County Head Start Program in Fresno, Monterey, and San Bonito County. Welcome to the committee. Come forward and take your seat. My understanding is that Ramona Ramirez is home with her daughter, who was also going to testify, who is suffering from tonsillitis today. So even as we speak, one of our children is ill. But welcome to the committee. And again, your written statement will be put in the record. Whatever supporting documents you wish to provide to the committee will be made a part of the record of this hearing. And you proceed in the manner in which you are most comfortable. How do you want to do this? Mr. Ramirez? Mr. CUELLAR. I have to translate. Chairman MILLER. Yes, you are going to translate, Mr. Cuellar, for him. Fine. STATEMENT OF GONZOLO RAMIREZ, FARMWORKER, EARLIMART, CA, ACCOMPANIED BY CIRO CUELLAR, MEMBER OF EARLIMART CANCER TASK FORCE, EARLIMART, CA [Mr. Ramirez speaking in Spanish.] Mr. CUELLAR. I am going to translate it. So what he is saying is that he would like to suggest that, on this issue, for a lot of years nothing has been done. In the past, a lot of this came to focus, that Chairman MILLER. I am going to ask you to speak up, because people in the back of the room want to hear his testimony, also. Mr. CUELLAR. Thank you. What he was trying to say was that he would like to see justice done from this issue of the pesticides. In the past, the farmworkers have been struggling, suffering, exposed to pesticides and all kinds of toxins. So he would like to see that something could be done in this respect. [Mr. Ramirez speaking in Spanish.] |