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.
“IN SUPPORT OF THE DECENNIAL CENSUS” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Senate section on pages S2460-S2461 on April 10, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN SUPPORT OF THE DECENNIAL CENSUS
Mr. AKAKA. Madam President, during last week's consideration of S. Con. Res. 101, the congressional budget resolution, the Senate by voice vote agreed to a modified amendment (amendment 3028) offered by the Senator from New Hampshire (Senator Smith) that:
Assume(s) that no American will be prosecuted, fined or in anyway harassed by the Federal government or its agents for failure to respond to any census questions which refer to an individual's race, national origin, living conditions, personal habits or mental and/or physical condition, but that all Americans are encouraged to send in their census forms.
There are serious consequences for state, local, and Federal Government when people are missed by the census. There are approximately 1,327 federal domestic assistance programs that use population information in some way. The breadth of the programs affected that touch families and businesses throughout the nation clearly spells out the need to ensure that all Americans are counted. The questions asked by the census represent a balance between the needs of our nation's communities and the need to keep the time and effort required to complete the form to a minimum. Federal and state funds for schools, employment services, housing assistance, road construction, day care facilities, hospitals, emergency services, programs for seniors, and much more are distributed based on census figures.
The percentage of people undercounted in Hawaii--1.9 percent--was higher than the national average, and the largest component of the undercount by race was projected to be Asians and Pacific Islanders. I was so concerned that Hawaii would once more have a higher than average undercount that on March 14, 2000, I held a forum in Hawaii on the Census 2000. At that forum, I urge Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders to take advantage of the 2000 Census as an opportunity to be accurately represented in data and statistics that will impact our lives for the next 10 years. During the forum, which was attended by Congressman Eni Faleomavaega from American Samoa, Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono, representatives from the Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Interior, and various Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander organizations, I strongly urged everyone to answer their questionnaires.
The Senate agreed to the Smith amendment, as modified, on April 7, 2000. However, if there is no objection, I am submitting to the Record a statement by Census Director Kenneth Prewitt, regarding the Sense of the Senate amendment, Number 3028 to the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 101:
The Census Bureau is required by law to collect a complete response from every resident in America to both the census short and long forms. Today's sense of the Senate amendment would undermine the quality of information from both forms. Census 2000 is not designed by law as a pick and choose exercise. Serious degradation of census information will negatively affect economic policy-making, public sector expenditures and private sector investment for a decade.
The census procedures require enumerators in the non-response follow up phase to make six attempts to collect information. Congress would have to advise the Census Bureau whether six attempts (or even a single attempt) would constitute harassment.
Kenneth Prewitt,Director, U.S. Census Bureau,April 7, 2000.
Madam President, I suggest the absence after quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. NICKLES. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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