The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SUPPORT A COMPLETE AND THOROUGH COUNT OF EVERY CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY FOR THE NEXT CENSUS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H1573 on March 23, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORT A COMPLETE AND THOROUGH COUNT OF EVERY CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY
FOR THE NEXT CENSUS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I take pride in joining my Democratic colleagues in supporting a complete and thorough count of every citizen in this country for the next census.
The year 2000 will usher in a new year, a new decade, a new century and a new millennium. It is more important now than in any other time in our history to ensure that every citizen will be counted and that that count will be as accurate as possible.
The 1990 undercount of 4 million people had a disproportionate effect on minorities, women and children, particularly women on ranches and farms. Many individuals were denied an equal voice in their government.
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Millions were double-counted, and millions more were not counted at all.
Census data directly affects decisions made on all matters of national and local importance, including education, employment, public health care, housing, and transportation, among other things.
Federal, State, and county government use Census information to guide the annual distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in critical services. The data is also used to monitor and to enforce compliance with civil rights statutes, employment, housing, lending, education, and antidiscrimination laws.
Finally, the accuracy of the Census directly affects our Nation's ability to ensure equal representation and equal access to important governmental resources for all Americans.
Ensuring a fair and accurate Census must be regarded as one of the most significant civil rights issues facing the country today. If we accept the current Census count of nearly 2 million farms in the United States, only 6 percent will be represented as being operated by women. This small percentage reflects that women on ranches and farms have been severely undercounted. This inaccurate count is also due to the type of information collected by the Census Bureau and the Department of Agriculture in their yearly count.
Mr. Speaker, everyone counts. Minorities count. Women and children count. Young men and elderly men count. Farmers and small business owners count. Rural Americans count. Urban Americans count. Suburban and inner city dwellers count. In America, Mr. Speaker, we all count. Let us have a Census that does just that, count all of us fairly and accurately. Let us count the Census correctly.
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