Testimony by the education policy analyst for the National Council for La Raza (NCLR) gives an overview of demographic facts and population trends among the Hispanic community in the United States; examines critical literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction needs in the Hispanic community, including both basic literacy and language instruction to meet immigrant amnesty requirements; outlines the mechanisms used for provision of ESL instruction, including the NCLR's efforts, current national program strategies, and characteristics of successful programs for adults; discusses the significant role of community-based organizations in effective literacy programs for Hispanic adults; and makes recommendations concerning the Adult Education Act. The three primary recommendations include the following: (1) allocation of increased resources to current publicly-funded employment and literacy programs to reach a significant proportion of eligible participants; (2) allocation of additional resources to the adult education program (1988 amendments to the Adult Education Act) to increase its capacity to provide ESL services as well as the number of individuals reached by these services, with full funding of the English Literacy Grants Program; and (3) maintenance of the ESL component of the Adult Education Act and resources for its services, regardless of the availability of a separate fund for ESL. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)