$300 Million for Immigrant Care Proposed : Spending: Amount is less than one-third that sought by state officials to provide health, education programs for those who have been newly legalized.

WASHINGTON —  President Bush will propose spending about $300 million for health and education programs for newly legalized immigrants, less than one-third of the amount sought by state officials, knowledgeable officials said Monday.

The amount is far shy of the $1.1 billion that the California congressional delegation wants this year. The Bush Administration, which will unveil the funding request as part of the budget package Wednesday, had denied the programs funding for the past two years.

“Instead of merely reneging on a commitment and ignoring the need, President Bush is now making a weak gesture and a totally inadequate one,” said Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City), a staunch defender of the program. “In effect, what he is doing instead of stealing the $1.1 billion . . . is only stealing $800 million of it.”

As part of a landmark immigration reform measure approved in 1986, Congress had approved $4 billion to finance the State Legalization Impact Assistance Grant program. But faced with intense competition for federal spending in recent years, the White House and Congress began slashing the immigrant funds to pay for other health and education programs.

The cutbacks were devastating to California, home to 1.3 million new immigrants under the amnesty program or 61% of the nation’s total. The President’s proposal would provide California with about $180 million of the estimated $600 million needed to offer health and social services to the state’s newly legalized immigrants.

In seeking to deflect criticism that the $300 million is inadequate, one senior Administration official stressed repeatedly that limitations on spending made this “a tough budget year.” The official noted that the sum was “substantially more than either the Administration or Congress have appropriated in the recent past.”

Gov. Pete Wilson and Sen. John Seymour (R-Calif.) were instrumental in persuading the Office of Management and Budget to embrace the program, Administration officials said. Before Wilson and others intervened, the Administration had been inclined once again to recommend that the program receive no new money.

“We have not been too sympathetic to this program in the past,” a senior Administration official said. “The fact that we changed our minds reflects the forcefully stated interests of lots of people in California.”

Among those Wilson and Seymour contacted repeatedly in their lobbying effort were Chief of Staff Samuel K. Skinner and his predecessor, John H. Sununu, and Budget Director Richard Darman, Administration sources said.

Democrats were not so willing to credit the Republican governor or senator for their efforts.

“I don’t consider it a great accomplishment since it is not enough,” said Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.).

Said Berman: “I would like to see Pete Wilson stand up and say that $300 million will fill the gap that has been left in these programs.”

Wilson, who has blamed the state’s fiscal crisis in part on increasing demands for services by immigrants, declined to respond to questions, preferring to wait until the President’s budget is released.

“If the figure is correct, that’s good news,” said Wilson press secretary Bill Livingstone. “Hopefully, Congress can make up any difference that might be necessary.”

Seymour was en route from California to Washington Monday night and was unavailable for comment. A week ago, Seymour wrote Bush a letter urging the President’s strong support for “full funding” of the immigrant assistance program.

“The fact there is some money in there is an improvement,” said Seymour spokesman H.D. Palmer. “But the bottom line is what is in the budget falls short of full funding.”

Palmer noted that Congress is on record saying it will provide sufficient funding in 1993. But Congress has made empty promises before regarding the immigrant funding program. After cutting $1.13 billion the past two years, Congress vowed to restore the full amount in the current budget. Instead, the Bush Administration once again proposed no funding and Congress, citing other priorities, failed to reinstate the money.

In a rare display of unity, all but four of California’s 45 House members signed a letter in November threatening to withhold support from this year’s health appropriations bill unless it contains the $1.1 billion in immigrant funding.