ctpp-news

ctpp-news@mailman.chrispy.net

2560 discussions

by Banks, Stephen

Can't we get a handle on and put an end to this kind of garbage email!? Stephen M. Banks, Senior Planner Advanced Plans Division Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department 455 N Main - 10th Floor - City Hall Wichita, KS 67202-1688 Phone: 316-352-4853 Fax: 316-268-4390 E-mail: sbanks(a)wichita.gov Website: http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Planning/ -----Original Message----- From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net] On Behalf Of ctpp-news-request(a)chrispy.net Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 12:00 PM To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net Subject: ctpp-news Digest, Vol 60, Issue 13 Send ctpp-news mailing list submissions to ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to ctpp-news-request(a)chrispy.net You can reach the person managing the list at ctpp-news-owner(a)chrispy.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of ctpp-news digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: CENSUS NEWS BRIEF (Richard Lin) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:03:48 -0700 From: "Richard Lin" <richard.lin(a)state.co.us> Subject: Re: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF To: <edc(a)berwyned.com>, "ctpp-news maillist" <ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net> Message-ID: <s9a29ed4.011(a)dem.state.co.us> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Dear edc and All, i am retiring in three weeks. Please remove my name from your email list. Thank you.l ________________________________ Richard Lin, Ph.D. Senior Estimates Demographer Colorado Department of Local Affairs State Demography Office 1313 Sherman Street, Room 521 Denver, CO 80203 Phone: (303)866-4989 Fax:: (303)866-2660 richard.lin(a)state.co.us www.DOLA.Colorado.Gov >>> edc(a)berwyned.com 2/3/2009 8:16 AM >>> PRESIDENT SELECTS SEN. GREGG FOR COMMERCE SECRETARY; SENATE CONSIDERS $1B FOR CENSUS IN STIMULUS BILL Plus: House Passes Stimulus Funds for Census President Obama has selected Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, to be his Commerce Secretary. The post would give Sen. Gregg authority over the Census Bureau and upcoming decennial census. The Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Department's Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), which also houses the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Sen. Gregg, a three-term senator, former representative, and former New Hampshire governor, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is a member and former chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (formerly Commerce, Justice, and State), which funds the Census Bureau. The biography posted on his official web site highlights his interest in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), another large Commerce Department agency. Sen. Gregg chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State during the 2000 census. In 1999, he questioned the Administration's request for additional census funding for fiscal year 2000; the Census Bureau had asked for an extra $1.7 billion after a Supreme Court decision forced it to redesign non-response follow-up operations. The House of Representatives had approved the full $4.5 billion for the census year, while the Senate allocated the $2.8 billion the Administration had sought before the Court ruling in a case challenging the use of sampling to compile census population counts used for congressional apportionment. Sen. Gregg especially questioned the House's proposal to designate all census funding for 2000 as "emergency" spending, which would remove the allocation from under tight budget caps. The impasse over census funding helped delay passage of final spending bills for 2000; Congress eventually approved the full funding request, designating the entire amount as an "emergency." The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold confirmation hearings for Sen. Gregg, while the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be responsible for confirming a Census director. President Obama has not yet nominated an Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, who oversees the ESA, or Census Bureau director; both positions require Senate confirmation. Economic stimulus bill includes extra funds for 2010 census: On January 28, by a vote of 244 * 188, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an $819 economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) that includes $1 billion in additional funds for the 2010 census. No Republican lawmakers supported the bill. The stimulus package requested by President Obama is also working its way through the U.S. Senate. Last week, the Committee on Appropriations approved its own version of the economic recovery package (S. 336), which includes $1 billion for the 2010 census. The funds would be available until September 30, 2010. The Census Bureau is required by law to report state population totals to the President by December 31, 2010, and detailed populations counts to the states for redistricting purposes by April 1, 2011. Committee report language (S. Rept. 111-3) directs the Census Bureau to use $780 million to hire more census takers "to count underserved communities"; $120 million to expand the Partnership Program, "with specific focus being placed on hard to reach populations"; and $100 million to increase outreach and promotion "to minority communities." Appropriators suggested that the Census Bureau hire additional staff who are experienced with partnership programs and are trusted community leaders who can convey the importance of participating in the census to "hard to reach" populations. The full Senate is considering the package this week. Amendments to strip or reduce some of the funding from the bill, including the proposed $1 billion for the 2010 census, are possible. The House version of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" does not lay out as many specific dollar amounts for spending the additional money, instead saying more broadly that the Census Bureau should "hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks to ensure a successful decennial." The Census Bureau should use $150 million for "expanded communications and outreach programs to minimize undercounting of minority groups," according to the House Appropriations committee. An analysis of the economic stimulus package by Robert Santos of the Urban Institute, a Washington, DC think-tank, concludes that the proposed spending for the 2010 census "would provide an infusion of new jobs, better community participation and a more accurate census." Dr. Santos calls the census "a shovel-ready infrastructure project," a reference to one of President Obama's criteria for including projects in a stimulus package. The analysis is available on-line at http://www.urban.org/issues/recovery.cfm#santos. Senator urges quick appointment of Census Director: Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security (Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), sent a letter to President Obama on January 28, urging him to "move quickly to fill the top leadership at the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau with individuals with the knowledge and the management skills necessary to get the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Census back on track for good." The chairman said that "serious challenges in managing key information technology activities" and reduced spending on advertising and outreach have led the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to designate the 2010 census as a "high risk" federal program. Sen. Carper called on the President to make the "overall success [of the census] a top priority of your Administration." The Federal Financial Management panel has tentatively scheduled an oversight hearing for February 25 to review the status of planning for the 2010 census. Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org -- Ed Christopher Resource Center Planning Team Federal Highway Administration 19900 Governors Drive Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) 708-283-3501 (F) _______________________________________________ ctpp-news mailing list ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news

15 years, 10 months

Re: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF

by Richard Lin

Dear edc and All, i am retiring in three weeks. Please remove my name from your email list. Thank you.l ________________________________ Richard Lin, Ph.D. Senior Estimates Demographer Colorado Department of Local Affairs State Demography Office 1313 Sherman Street, Room 521 Denver, CO 80203 Phone: (303)866-4989 Fax:: (303)866-2660 richard.lin(a)state.co.us www.DOLA.Colorado.Gov >>> edc(a)berwyned.com 2/3/2009 8:16 AM >>> PRESIDENT SELECTS SEN. GREGG FOR COMMERCE SECRETARY; SENATE CONSIDERS $1B FOR CENSUS IN STIMULUS BILL Plus: House Passes Stimulus Funds for Census President Obama has selected Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, to be his Commerce Secretary. The post would give Sen. Gregg authority over the Census Bureau and upcoming decennial census. The Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Departments Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), which also houses the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Sen. Gregg, a three-term senator, former representative, and former New Hampshire governor, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is a member and former chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (formerly Commerce, Justice, and State), which funds the Census Bureau. The biography posted on his official web site highlights his interest in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), another large Commerce Department agency. Sen. Gregg chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State during the 2000 census. In 1999, he questioned the Administrations request for additional census funding for fiscal year 2000; the Census Bureau had asked for an extra $1.7 billion after a Supreme Court decision forced it to redesign non-response follow-up operations. The House of Representatives had approved the full $4.5 billion for the census year, while the Senate allocated the $2.8 billion the Administration had sought before the Court ruling in a case challenging the use of sampling to compile census population counts used for congressional apportionment. Sen. Gregg especially questioned the Houses proposal to designate all census funding for 2000 as emergency spending, which would remove the allocation from under tight budget caps. The impasse over census funding helped delay passage of final spending bills for 2000; Congress eventually approved the full funding request, designating the entire amount as an emergency. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold confirmation hearings for Sen. Gregg, while the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be responsible for confirming a Census director. President Obama has not yet nominated an Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, who oversees the ESA, or Census Bureau director; both positions require Senate confirmation. Economic stimulus bill includes extra funds for 2010 census: On January 28, by a vote of 244 * 188, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an $819 economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) that includes $1 billion in additional funds for the 2010 census. No Republican lawmakers supported the bill. The stimulus package requested by President Obama is also working its way through the U.S. Senate. Last week, the Committee on Appropriations approved its own version of the economic recovery package (S. 336), which includes $1 billion for the 2010 census. The funds would be available until September 30, 2010. The Census Bureau is required by law to report state population totals to the President by December 31, 2010, and detailed populations counts to the states for redistricting purposes by April 1, 2011. Committee report language (S. Rept. 111-3) directs the Census Bureau to use $780 million to hire more census takers to count underserved communities; $120 million to expand the Partnership Program, with specific focus being placed on hard to reach populations; and $100 million to increase outreach and promotion to minority communities. Appropriators suggested that the Census Bureau hire additional staff who are experienced with partnership programs and are trusted community leaders who can convey the importance of participating in the census to hard to reach populations. The full Senate is considering the package this week. Amendments to strip or reduce some of the funding from the bill, including the proposed $1 billion for the 2010 census, are possible. The House version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 does not lay out as many specific dollar amounts for spending the additional money, instead saying more broadly that the Census Bureau should hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks to ensure a successful decennial. The Census Bureau should use $150 million for expanded communications and outreach programs to minimize undercounting of minority groups, according to the House Appropriations committee. An analysis of the economic stimulus package by Robert Santos of the Urban Institute, a Washington, DC think-tank, concludes that the proposed spending for the 2010 census would provide an infusion of new jobs, better community participation and a more accurate census. Dr. Santos calls the census a shovel-ready infrastructure project, a reference to one of President Obamas criteria for including projects in a stimulus package. The analysis is available on-line at http://www.urban.org/issues/recovery.cfm#santos. Senator urges quick appointment of Census Director: Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security (Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), sent a letter to President Obama on January 28, urging him to move quickly to fill the top leadership at the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau with individuals with the knowledge and the management skills necessary to get the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Census back on track for good. The chairman said that serious challenges in managing key information technology activities and reduced spending on advertising and outreach have led the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to designate the 2010 census as a high risk federal program. Sen. Carper called on the President to make the overall success [of the census] a top priority of your Administration. The Federal Financial Management panel has tentatively scheduled an oversight hearing for February 25 to review the status of planning for the 2010 census. Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org -- Ed Christopher Resource Center Planning Team Federal Highway Administration 19900 Governors Drive Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) 708-283-3501 (F) _______________________________________________ ctpp-news mailing list ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news

15 years, 10 months

CENSUS NEWS BRIEF (Feb 23, 2009)

by Ed Christopher

STIMULUS PACKAGE BOOSTS 2010 CENSUS FUNDS BY $1 BILLION; FOCUS TURNS TO FY09 & FY10 BUDGETS Plus: Commerce Secretary Nominee and Leading Contender for Census Director Withdraw; and more. The “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (Public Law 111-5) that President Obama signed into law on February 17 includes $1 billion to “ensure a successful 2010 Decennial” census, according to the explanation accompanying the compromise package. The final measure omitted language in the Senate-passed version of the bill that would have required the Census Bureau to spend the funds by the end of fiscal year 2010, several months before the census is finished. Report language explaining the $789 billion conference bill (House Report 111-16) says that the $1 billion should be used to “hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks.” Appropriators directed the Census Bureau to spend “up to” $250 million for the Partnership Program and outreach to “minority communities and hard-to-reach populations.” Several members of Congress specifically praised the inclusion of money for the census in the stimulus package. In an article posted on Politico.com (Feb. 12, 2009), Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), praised the Obama Administration for its support of an additional $1 billion for the census, which the lawmakers said would “instantly go toward job creation across the country in the next two years and will be crucial to ensuring an accurate count.” The Census Bureau has said that it will use the stimulus funds to recruit as many as 2,000 additional Partnership Specialists this year ($120 million) and expand advertising, especially in areas with historically low mail response rates ($100 million). It is less clear how the Census Bureau will apply the remaining stimulus money to improve census operations in 2010. Congress turns attention to funding for current and next fiscal years: Congress must now complete action on regular appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009), which began on October 1, 2008. Most federal agencies, including the Census Bureau, are operating under a Continuing Resolution (Public Law 110-329) that expires on March 6. The temporary funding measure, which left many agencies operating at 2008 spending levels, included an exception for the 2010 census, allocating the full $2.9 billion the Administration had requested to carry out final preparations for the decennial count (under the Periodic Censuses and Programs account). Congress must reaffirm that amount, or approve another funding level, in the final appropriation for FY2009. Congress also will begin considering appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010, which begins on October 1, 2009, when President Obama releases his budget request for the federal government this Thursday. Historically, the Census Bureau has requested roughly one-half of the census lifecycle cost in the year it conducts the count. Last spring, the Commerce Department estimated that the 2010 census would cost $13.7 - $14.5 billion for the full cycle of testing, planning, and implementation. Top positions at Commerce and Census Bureau remain unfilled: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), the President’s second nominee for Secretary of the Department of Commerce, which includes the Census Bureau, withdrew from consideration for the post earlier this month. In a statement he released on February 12, Sen. Gregg said that he had “found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns.” While a number of news editorials suggested that controversy over the role the White House would play in overseeing the 2010 census was a significant factor in the nominee’s decision to pull out, Sen. Gregg said at a news conference the same day that the census dispute was “a slight issue” for him and “was not a major issue.” In discussing his withdrawal from consideration as Commerce Secretary, Sen. Gregg told an interviewer on CNBC (Feb. 13, 2009) that the Administration was prepared to select Dr. Kenneth Prewitt, Census Director during the 2000 count, as the new head of the Census Bureau. Sen. Gregg, who chaired the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funded the Census Bureau during the last count, said of Dr. Prewitt, “I think he did an excellent job.” However, late last week, several on-line news sources, including a New York Times podcast, reported that Dr. Prewitt, currently a professor at Columbia University, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the top Census post. Lawmakers highlight concerns about census: Two House members responsible for oversight of the Census Bureau urged the prompt appointment of a Census Director, saying in a joint February 12 statement, “We need to have a Census Bureau director nominated and confirmed as soon as possible.” Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), who chairs the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, expressed deep concern about the status of planning for the 2010 census. ““The Obama Administration inherited a Census Bureau that has failed to demonstrate its ability to successfully carry out the 2010 Census. We are deeply concerned that the Census Bureau will not be able to complete its constitutionally mandated responsibility to count U.S. residents without immediate and sustained attention from the Administration,” the representatives warned. They said they are “committed to strict bipartisan oversight” of the census “so that the fairest assessment of the American population is reported.” On February 12, House Republican leaders held a press conference to announce the formation of a Census Task Force to “examine all issues of the 2010 census.” Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said in a news release, “The American people expect the Census to be fair, impartial, and free of politics. … If this process is controlled by political operatives at the White House, instead of experts and statisticians at the Census Bureau, Americans are right to lose confidence in it.” A day earlier, Boehner and other Republican members had sent a letter to President Obama, expressing concern about what they viewed as politicization of the census (see February 11 Census News Brief). Also at the press conference, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the senior Republican on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said the Administration’s “[c]ommanding the Census Director to report directly to the White House is a naked political power grab and transparently partisan. There is only one possible reason for it – political interference in the 2010 census and partisan manipulation of the results.” The congressman said Republicans would consider a lawsuit against the Administration over the line of authority between the White House, the Commerce Department, and the Census Bureau. Rep. Issa noted “the need for an independent Census Bureau” and that “every living former Census Director is on record supporting an independent Census Bureau,” referring to a letter the directors wrote last year in support of a bill Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) sponsored to establish the U.S. Census Bureau as an independent federal agency. No Republicans co-sponsored the “Restoring the Integrity of American Statistics Act of 2008” (H.R. 7069, 110th Congress), which Rep. Maloney said she will reintroduce shortly. Rep. Maloney, a member of the census oversight subcommittee, called the Republican press event “a show about nothing.” She noted that the White House had issued a statement clarifying its intended role in overseeing the census and quoted spokesman Benjamin LaBolt as saying that the Administration “has not proposed removing the census from the Department of Commerce, and the same congressional committees that had oversight during the previous administration will retain that authority.” Rep. Maloney called “the Bush Administration’s woefully inadequate planning and preparation for the next census” the “only true political machinations” surrounding the census. Seven legislators, representing three House committees with jurisdiction over the census, reapportionment, and redistricting, will serve on the Republican Census Task Force: Reps. Lynn Westmoreland (GA), who will chair the Task Force, Darrell Issa (CA), and Patrick McHenry (NC), from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee; Reps. Lamar Smith (TX) and James Sensenbrenner (WI), from the House Judiciary Committee; and Reps. Dan Lungren (CA) and Gregg Harper (MS), from the House Administration Committee. The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), a member of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee, said in a statement, “We applaud the Obama Administration for making a full and fair 2010 Census a priority, and we welcome the Republican Task Force to the bipartisan conversation on this vital issue.” ---------- Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org -- Ed Christopher Resource Center Planning Team Federal Highway Administration 19900 Governors Drive Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) 708-283-3501 (F)

15 years, 10 months

Don't Politicize the Census Bureau

by Ed Christopher

FYI--This was passed along to me this morning and it is certainly an important topic. Besides, its not everyday you can get up and find so much news about the Census Bureau "above the fold" in your newspaper. _____ From: wendell cox [mailto:demographia@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 7:13 PM To: #DemoGoogle Subject: Don't Politicize the Census Bureau http://www.newgeography.com/content/00587-dont-politicize-census-bureau DON'T POLITICIZE THE CENSUS BUREAU by Wendell Cox 02/13/2009 The recent decision by the Obama Administration to place the Census under the control of the White House represents a danger - not only to the integrity of the process but to the underlying assumptions that drive policy in a representative democracy. It is something that smacks of the worst anti-scientific views of the far right, or the casual political manipulation of the facts one expects in places like Russia or Iran. Let me be clear: I love the Bureau of the Census. I have been an avid consumer of its data since the second grade. I used to wait with anticipation for the decennial results - the 10 year population counts for states, counties and cities. Anyone who has spent any time on the Demographia websites knows the respect with which I treat Census data. The United States established one of the first regular censuses and it has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The United Kingdom followed in 1801 and France in 1807, though both nations suspended their counts during World War II. Over the past couple of decades, the Bureau of the Census has made annual estimates widely available, so it was no longer necessary to wait for the 10 year results. This was an important step in the right direction for people interested in demographics. But, there was a more basic purpose than amusing people who make their living with numbers. As federal programs that allocate money to local jurisdictions based upon their population have become more widespread, interim annual census estimates became a necessity. Before the interim estimates, all sorts of "cheerleading" estimates were published, like the more than 1,000,000 population estimate I discovered for Washington, DC in the 1950s (the city never exceeded 800,000 by much). The great thing about the Bureau of the Census was that you could trust the numbers. Trust and accuracy were precisely what the framers had in mind when they wrote the regular decennial Census enumeration (count) into the US Constitution. The principal purpose, of course, was to apportion seats in the House of Representatives. A genuine democracy depends on ensuring all are represented equally and thus depends upon the integrity of its census. Recently, however, the process has become ever more politicized. The Bureau of the Census has allowed counties, cities and other local jurisdictions to challenge their annual census estimates. The incentive, of course, is that if the challenge results in a higher population estimate (and it can be expected that no jurisdiction challenges an estimate it feels is too high), more federal money is the reward. I became aware of the problem in watching the recently developing annual challenge ritual by the nearby city of St. Louis, which has lost more of its population than any city since the Romans sacked Carthage. No large local jurisdiction in the world, not even New Orleans, has lost as much of its population as St. Louis, which has experienced a 60 percent decline since 1950. So not surprisingly, the city of St. Louis has become a frequent challenger. St. Louis has successfully challenged the Bureau of the Census estimate of its population five of the seven years from 2001 to 2007 (the most recent estimate). The total of additions from census challenges adds up to 43,000 people. This is a not insubstantial 12.4 percent relative to the approximately 348,000 2000 Census count for the city. I began to wonder what the success rate was in census challenges. I asked the appropriate Bureau of the Census officials for a list of rejected challenges. The quick and polite response was "We do not have a list of the rejected challenges." This seemed a strange answer, since the Bureau of the Census website <http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/challenges.html> lists all of the successful challenges. Moreover, my internet search for news stories about rejections of census challenge rejections yielded nothing. I performed an analysis of the successful challenges posted on the internet. Approximately 200 general purpose local jurisdictions have filed challenges. Nearly 40,000 have not. Many of the upheld challenges are in large urban cores, such as 236,000 in the city of New York and more than 100,000 in Atlanta's core Fulton County. Among the larger jurisdictions, Fulton County added the largest to its 2000 population by challenges, at 13.5 percent. However, the challenges are by no means limited to urban cores. Salt Lake City suburbs West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy challenged their counts, but not core city Salt Lake City. Nearby Provo, no urban jungle, had the largest addition to its population of any jurisdiction over 100,000 population, at 15.2 percent. The Bureau of the Census missed about 2,000 residents between Skokie and Hoffman Estates, headquarters of Sears Roebuck, but not a one in nearby Chicago, which has 25 times as many people as the two suburban jurisdictions combined. Overall, 47 jurisdictions with more than 100,000 population in 2000 have successfully challenged census estimates, many in more than one year. The total population addition from these challenges is 1.24 million, though there may be some duplication in city and county numbers. Overall, the census challenges have added a total of nearly 1,600,000 people, which is likely, with duplications, to exceed the population of two Congressional districts. All of the challenging jurisdictions combined had a population of less than 35 million in 2000, or less than 15 percent of the population. All of this raises questions. Beyond the questions about rejected challenges, if there have been any, are fundamental questions about Bureau of the Census methods. How can it be that the Census misses by so many people? Why did it presumably miss 15 percent of the population in Provo, 3 percent in New York City and 30 percent in Bazine City, Kansas, while apparently being so accurate in the remaining 85 percent of the nation that no one was missed? Why was the Bureau of the Census estimate so erroneous in New York, Boston and San Francisco, yet so accurate in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Phoenix, where there were no errors? Then there is the more fundamental question - have there been any rejections? It is possible that everything is on the "up and up" with respect to the Bureau of the Census challenge program. On the other hand, there appears to be plenty of potential for mischief, as some jurisdictions have become experts at challenging and the Bureau may find rejections difficult, given the pressure that could be received from members of Congress. But politicization of the Census is a terrible risk. That's why the Obama administration's decision to move authority for the Census to the White House from the Department of Commerce is so concerning. It is hard to imagine a function of government so crucial to the genuine working of democracy becoming subject to the whims of people like White House chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel - or down the road to a similarly partisan figure in the other party, like a Karl Rove. The good news is that a bill introduced by New York Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney would assure the census's integrity. Last year, she introduced the "Restoring the Integrity of American Statistics Act of 2008," with co-sponsors Henry Gonzales of Texas, Henry Waxman of California and William Clay of Missouri. Congresswoman Maloney's bill would remove the Bureau of the Census from the Department of Commerce and establish it as an independent federal agency, insulated from the political process. According to the Congresswoman: This action will be a clear signal to Americans that the agency they depend upon for unbiased monthly economic data as well as the important decennial portrait of our nation is independent, fair, and protected from interference. The bill http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1720&Ite… has been endorsed by all seven living former directors of the Bureau of the Census, appointed by Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes. This is the direction we need to go. The Administration has made much of its commitment to science and open inquiry. Preserving the sanctity of the census process would seem to confirm that commitment. In contrast, putting it under the control of White House political operatives represents a brazen act of political gamesmanship and a shameful turn in the wrong direction. It is to be hoped that the rising political firestorm and the http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123447333424979131.html?mod=djemalertN%20EWS recent withdrawal of Senator Judd Gregg from consideration for the post of Commerce Secretary might lead to a policy reversal. Wendell Cox is a Visiting Professor, Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris. He was born in Los Angeles and was appointed to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission by Mayor Tom -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 11 months

OMB proposal re Metro Area definitions

by Ed Christopher

I haven't been able to look at this yet, too busy celebrating Abe Lincoln's 200 birthday, but I thought I would get it out to folks. Not sure if there are any changes or not. ----------- OMB proposed changes to the 2000 Standards for Defining Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-2978.pdf ------------ -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 11 months

Census News Brief

by Ed Christopher

CENSUS FUNDS SURVIVE IN STIMULUS BILL Plus: White House Clarifies Role in 2010 Census, While Republicans Express Growing “Alarm;” and more. House and Senate negotiators reportedly have reached an agreement on a $789 billion economic stimulus package that includes $1 billion for expanded 2010 census operations. Details about how the Census Bureau should spend the funds are not yet available, although both House and Senate appropriators emphasized the need to target historically hard-to-count communities in their respective committee reports. The U.S. Senate gave final approval yesterday (61 – 37) to its $838 billion version of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” after adopting a substitute amendment sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NB). The Collins-Nelson amendment allocated $1 billion for enhanced 2010 census operations and specified that the funds would be available until September 30, 2010, a restriction the $819 billion House version of the bill did not include. Before suspending consideration of the original stimulus proposal (H.R. 1) last week, Senators rejected (39 – 57) yet another amendment, offered by Sens. Graham (R-SC) and Conrad (D-ND), which would have eliminated funds for the census. Controvery continues over line of authority for census: Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), today sent a letter to the panel’s leadership, requesting a hearing to “investigate potential politicization of the U.S. Census Bureau.” The letter, addressed to committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) and signed by all 22 committee Republicans, follows press reports last week that the White House planned to assume direct responsibility for the 2010 census after some stakeholders expressed concern about Commerce Secretary-designate Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) past positions on the decennial count. (See February 5th Census News Brief.) Committee Republicans said they were “alarmed to learn that senior White House officials are contemplating a plan to change the management and reporting structure of the Census Bureau,” referring to a report in Congressional Quarterly last week that the Census Director would have a “direct line to the White House.” This “change in management,” the lawmakers wrote, “may jeopardize the important and non-partisan work product of a sensitive administrative agency, and potentially disrupt completion of a competent, reliable 2010 census.” The White House sought to clarify its original statement last week by saying the Census Director would “work closely” with, not report to, senior Administration staff, and that the director “works for the Commerce Secretary and the president.” The White House today issued a second clarification of its intended role in the next census, according to an Associated Press article. AP writer Erica Werner quoted White House spokesman Benjamin LaBolt as saying the Administration “has not proposed removing the census from the Department of Commerce, and the same congressional committees that had oversight during the previous administration will retain that authority.” However, House Republican Leader John Boehner, joined by other party and committee leaders in the House, sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to “reconsider and reverse this controversial and harmful course of action,” which Rep. Boehner called a “White House census takeover.” “Placing the census under control of political operatives,” the letter said, would result in “unprecedented politicization of the census and open the door to massive waste and abuse in the expenditure of taxpayer funds” used to allocate federal program funds. The AP reported that House Republicans plan to hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss their concerns and announce formation of a Census Task Force, which will be chaired by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), a member of the census oversight subcommittee. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has not announced a date for Sen. Gregg’s confirmation hearing. Senate panel plans census oversight hearing: The Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, chaired by Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), will hold its first census oversight hearing of the 111th Congress on Thursday, March 5, at 2:30 PM, in room 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building. The hearing, titled “Lessons Learned: How the New Administration Can Achieve an Accurate and Cost-Effective 2010 Census,” will take an historical look at the census and examine the challenges facing the Census Bureau heading into 2010, including ensuring accurate funding, timely appointment of a Census Director, and problems with management of IT systems that “threaten to undermine the accuracy of Census 2010,” according to the panel’s press release. The subcommittee has not yet announced witnesses. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is the new ranking minority member on the panel. More committee assignments for the 111th Congress: Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have made subcommittee assignments for the 111th Congress. The Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives is responsible for oversight of the Census Bureau and authorization of Census Bureau activities. (Democratic members of the subcommittee are listed in the February 5th Census News Brief.) House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives (Republican Members) Ranking Member: Patrick McHenry, NC Lynn Westmoreland, GA John Mica, FL Jason Chaffetz, UT Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org CENSUS NEWS BRIEF CENSUS FUNDS SURVIVE IN STIMULUS BILL Plus: White House Clarifies Role in 2010 Census, While Republicans Express Growing “Alarm;” and more. House and Senate negotiators reportedly have reached an agreement on a $789 billion economic stimulus package that includes $1 billion for expanded 2010 census operations. Details about how the Census Bureau should spend the funds are not yet available, although both House and Senate appropriators emphasized the need to target historically hard-to-count communities in their respective committee reports. The U.S. Senate gave final approval yesterday (61 – 37) to its $838 billion version of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” after adopting a substitute amendment sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NB). The Collins-Nelson amendment allocated $1 billion for enhanced 2010 census operations and specified that the funds would be available until September 30, 2010, a restriction the $819 billion House version of the bill did not include. Before suspending consideration of the original stimulus proposal (H.R. 1) last week, Senators rejected (39 – 57) yet another amendment, offered by Sens. Graham (R-SC) and Conrad (D-ND), which would have eliminated funds for the census. Controvery continues over line of authority for census: Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), today sent a letter to the panel’s leadership, requesting a hearing to “investigate potential politicization of the U.S. Census Bureau.” The letter, addressed to committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) and signed by all 22 committee Republicans, follows press reports last week that the White House planned to assume direct responsibility for the 2010 census after some stakeholders expressed concern about Commerce Secretary-designate Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) past positions on the decennial count. (See February 5th Census News Brief.) Committee Republicans said they were “alarmed to learn that senior White House officials are contemplating a plan to change the management and reporting structure of the Census Bureau,” referring to a report in Congressional Quarterly last week that the Census Director would have a “direct line to the White House.” This “change in management,” the lawmakers wrote, “may jeopardize the important and non-partisan work product of a sensitive administrative agency, and potentially disrupt completion of a competent, reliable 2010 census.” The White House sought to clarify its original statement last week by saying the Census Director would “work closely” with, not report to, senior Administration staff, and that the director “works for the Commerce Secretary and the president.” The White House today issued a second clarification of its intended role in the next census, according to an Associated Press article. AP writer Erica Werner quoted White House spokesman Benjamin LaBolt as saying the Administration “has not proposed removing the census from the Department of Commerce, and the same congressional committees that had oversight during the previous administration will retain that authority.” However, House Republican Leader John Boehner, joined by other party and committee leaders in the House, sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to “reconsider and reverse this controversial and harmful course of action,” which Rep. Boehner called a “White House census takeover.” “Placing the census under control of political operatives,” the letter said, would result in “unprecedented politicization of the census and open the door to massive waste and abuse in the expenditure of taxpayer funds” used to allocate federal program funds. The AP reported that House Republicans plan to hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss their concerns and announce formation of a Census Task Force, which will be chaired by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), a member of the census oversight subcommittee. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has not announced a date for Sen. Gregg’s confirmation hearing. Senate panel plans census oversight hearing: The Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, chaired by Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), will hold its first census oversight hearing of the 111th Congress on Thursday, March 5, at 2:30 PM, in room 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building. The hearing, titled “Lessons Learned: How the New Administration Can Achieve an Accurate and Cost-Effective 2010 Census,” will take an historical look at the census and examine the challenges facing the Census Bureau heading into 2010, including ensuring accurate funding, timely appointment of a Census Director, and problems with management of IT systems that “threaten to undermine the accuracy of Census 2010,” according to the panel’s press release. The subcommittee has not yet announced witnesses. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is the ranking minority member on the panel. More committee assignments for the 111th Congress: Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have made subcommittee assignments for the 111th Congress. The Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives is responsible for oversight of the Census Bureau and authorization of Census Bureau activities. (Democratic members of the subcommittee are listed in the February 5th Census News Brief.) House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives (Republican Members) Ranking Member: Patrick McHenry, NC Lynn Westmoreland, GA John Mica, FL Jason Chaffetz, UT Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 11 months

CENSUS NEWS BRIEF

by Ed Christopher

CONCERNS ABOUT GREGG ON CENSUS PROMPT WHITE HOUSE TO ASSERT AUTHORITY; REPUBLICANS CHARGE POLITICIZATION OF CENSUS COUNT Plus: Senate continues stimulus spending debate; 111th Congress continues to organize. Responding to concerns from key census stakeholders about the President’s nominee for Commerce Secretary, Obama Administration officials said the Census Director would report directly to the White House, according to an article by Jonathan Allen in today’s Congressional Quarterly. A posting by Philip Rucker on The Washington Post Blog subsequently quoted a White House statement as saying: “From the first days of the transition the Census has been a priority for the president, and a process he wanted to reevaluate. There is historic precedent for the director of the Census, who works for the commerce secretary and the president, to work closely with White House senior management, given the number of decisions that will have to be put before the president. We plan to return to that model in this administration." It was not clear from the Administration’s statement whether the Census Director would bypass the Commerce Secretary only on matters related to the 2010 census or on all Census Bureau activities. Republican leaders on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over the census, called the Administration’s plan a “power grab to politicize [the] census.” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the committee’s senior Republican member, and Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the new ranking minority member on the committee’s census oversight panel, said in a statement: “President Obama’s calls for bipartisanship are severely damaged when reports indicate they’re maneuvering to stab Republicans in the back through a national gerrymander orchestrated directly by the White House.” In a letter to the President, the lawmakers said they were “shocked and dismayed” by the White House’s statement on the census. “Requiring the Census Director to report directly to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is a shamefully transparent attempt by your Administration to politicize the Census Bureau and manipulate the 2010 Census.” Rahm Emanuel is a former Democratic member of Congress and former head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Reps. Issa and McHenry also suggested that having the Census Director report directly to the White House might violate the Census Act (Title 13, United States Code), which places the Census Bureau under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce. President Obama nominated Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) to head the Commerce Department, which houses the U.S. Census Bureau, earlier this week. As reported in the February 3, 2009 Census News Brief, Sen. Gregg chaired the Appropriations subcommittee that funded the Census Bureau during the 2000 census and objected to an “emergency” appropriation of $1.7 billion that the Clinton Administration requested after a 1999 Supreme Court ruling forced a redesign of the census. The nomination prompted some census stakeholders to express concern about the Senator’s commitment to ensuring an accurate 2010 census. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, issued a statement saying, in part, “[S]en. Gregg’s record of previously voting to abolish the Commerce Department and his attempts to block President Bill Clinton’s efforts to secure adequate funding for the 2000 census raise troubling concerns regarding his commitment to the department’s core missions.” The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), a member of the Census Bureau’s 2010 Census Advisory Committee, said in a statement that Sen. Gregg’s “record raises serious questions about his willingness to ensure that the 2010 Census produces the most accurate possible count of the nation’s population. … NALEO will be closely monitoring the confirmation process to learn more about Secretary-Designate Gregg’s view of the Department’s responsibility to conduct an accurate census.” Amendments target extra funds for census in stimulus bill: The U.S. Senate continued consideration of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” today, after defeating at least one amendment that would have stripped funds for the 2010 census from the measure. Yesterday, by a vote of 32 – 65, senators rejected an amendment offered by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) to “eliminate unnecessary spending” in the stimulus bill, including $1 billion for 250,000 additional census takers, more partnership specialists, and increased outreach and promotion. In a statement explaining his amendment, Sen. Vitter called the 2010 census a “bottomless pit,” noting that Congress allocated additional funds for the census last year after the Census Bureau dropped plans to use handheld computers for door-to-door visits to unresponsive households. The proposed funding, the senator said, “is not job creation … it is not economic stimulus. … [It] is run-of-the-mill, Washington-big-Government spending,” suggesting that Congress should debate the need for more money at another time. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) decided not to offer an amendment to eliminate the census funds from the stimulus bill. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), ranking Republican on the Census Bureau’s oversight subcommittee, reportedly was still considering such an amendment. 111th Congress continues to organize: Congressional committees continue to organize for the 111th Congress. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have made subcommittee assignments for the 111th Congress. The Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives is responsible for oversight of the Census Bureau and authorization of Census Bureau activities. Republicans are expected to announce their subcommittee assignments by next week; Rep. Patrick McHenry will be the new ranking Republican member on the census oversight panel. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives (Democratic Members) Chair: William Lacy Clay, Missouri Paul Kanjorski, Pennsylvania Carolyn Maloney, New York Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia Danny Davis, Illinois Steve Driehaus, Ohio Diane Watson, California Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 11 months

RE: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF

by Patty Becker

Please remember that Gregg is nominated for Secretary of Commerce, not for Census Bureau Director. We have no nominee for that position right now. I doubt that the Secretary of Commerce would read this listserv. However, you might want to direct questions to the members of the Senate committee which will be holding his confirmation hearing. A list of those folks is attached. If any of them is from your state, contact him or her with questions for Sen. Gregg would be useful. Patty Becker At 11:26 AM 2/4/2009, you wrote: >One idea might be to let your state FHWA coordinators or someone who >can ask Senator Gregg if he is interested in being part of this >listserve. If so, we could precede to inform from that direction. > >Angie Byrne >Transportation Planner >Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Organization >Western Arkansas Planning and Development District >1109 S. 16th St., P.O. Box 2067 >Fort Smith, Arkansas 72902 >(479) 785-2651 >abyrne(a)wapdd.org <mailto:abyrne@wapdd.org> >www.bistatempo.org <http://www.bistatempo.org> > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net >[mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net]On Behalf Of Nancy Reger >Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 5:28 PM >To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net >Subject: RE: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF > > >Should we do anything--- ie say, welcome to Director Gregg and tell >him how we use this data in the econ devt and transportation world >as a community or just go solo? > > >Nancy Reger, AICP >Assistant Director, Transportation >Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission >111 Liberty St; Ste 100 / Cols OH 43215 >(p) 614-233-4154 / (e) nreger(a)morpc.org > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net >[mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net] On Behalf Of Ed Christopher >Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 10:16 AM >To: ctpp-news maillist >Subject: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF > >PRESIDENT SELECTS SEN. GREGG FOR COMMERCE SECRETARY; >SENATE CONSIDERS $1B FOR CENSUS IN STIMULUS BILL >Plus: House Passes Stimulus Funds for Census > > >President Obama has selected Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New >Hampshire, to be his Commerce Secretary. The post would give Sen. Gregg >authority over the Census Bureau and upcoming decennial census. The >Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Department's Economics and >Statistics Administration (ESA), which also houses the Bureau of >Economic Analysis (BEA). > >Sen. Gregg, a three-term senator, former representative, and former New >Hampshire governor, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget >Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is a member >and former chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and >Science (formerly Commerce, Justice, and State), which funds the Census >Bureau. The biography posted on his official web site highlights his >interest in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), >another large Commerce Department agency. > >Sen. Gregg chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, >Justice, and State during the 2000 census. In 1999, he questioned the >Administration's request for additional census funding for fiscal year >2000; the Census Bureau had asked for an extra $1.7 billion after a >Supreme Court decision forced it to redesign non-response follow-up >operations. The House of Representatives had approved the full $4.5 >billion for the census year, while the Senate allocated the $2.8 billion >the Administration had sought before the Court ruling in a case >challenging the use of sampling to compile census population counts used >for congressional apportionment. Sen. Gregg especially questioned the >House's proposal to designate all census funding for 2000 as "emergency" >spending, which would remove the allocation from under tight budget >caps. The impasse over census funding helped delay passage of final >spending bills for 2000; Congress eventually approved the full funding >request, designating the entire amount as an "emergency." > >The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold >confirmation hearings for Sen. Gregg, while the Homeland Security and >Governmental Affairs Committee will be responsible for confirming a >Census director. President Obama has not yet nominated an Under >Secretary for Economic Affairs, who oversees the ESA, or Census Bureau >director; both positions require Senate confirmation. > >Economic stimulus bill includes extra funds for 2010 census: On January >28, by a vote of 244 - 188, the U.S. House of Representatives approved >an $819 economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) that includes $1 billion in >additional funds for the 2010 census. No Republican lawmakers supported >the bill. > >The stimulus package requested by President Obama is also working its >way through the U.S. Senate. Last week, the Committee on Appropriations >approved its own version of the economic recovery package (S. 336), >which includes $1 billion for the 2010 census. The funds would be >available until September 30, 2010. The Census Bureau is required by >law to report state population totals to the President by December 31, >2010, and detailed populations counts to the states for redistricting >purposes by April 1, 2011. > >Committee report language (S. Rept. 111-3) directs the Census Bureau to >use $780 million to hire more census takers "to count underserved >communities"; $120 million to expand the Partnership Program, "with >specific focus being placed on hard to reach populations"; and $100 >million to increase outreach and promotion "to minority communities." >Appropriators suggested that the Census Bureau hire additional staff who >are experienced with partnership programs and are trusted community >leaders who can convey the importance of participating in the census to >"hard to reach" populations. > >The full Senate is considering the package this week. Amendments to >strip or reduce some of the funding from the bill, including the >proposed $1 billion for the 2010 census, are possible. > >The House version of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of >2009" does not lay out as many specific dollar amounts for spending the >additional money, instead saying more broadly that the Census Bureau >should "hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase >targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational >and programmatic risks to ensure a successful decennial." The Census >Bureau should use $150 million for "expanded communications and outreach >programs to minimize undercounting of minority groups," according to the >House Appropriations committee. > >An analysis of the economic stimulus package by Robert Santos of the >Urban Institute, a Washington, DC think-tank, concludes that the >proposed spending for the 2010 census "would provide an infusion of new >jobs, better community participation and a more accurate census." Dr. >Santos calls the census "a shovel-ready infrastructure project," a >reference to one of President Obama's criteria for including projects in >a stimulus package. The analysis is available on-line at >http://www.urban.org/issues/recovery.cfm#santos. > >Senator urges quick appointment of Census Director: Senator Thomas >Carper (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial >Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International >Security (Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), sent >a letter to President Obama on January 28, urging him to "move quickly >to fill the top leadership at the Commerce Department and the Census >Bureau with individuals with the knowledge and the management skills >necessary to get the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Census back on >track for good." The chairman said that "serious challenges in managing >key information technology activities" and reduced spending on >advertising and outreach have led the Government Accountability Office >(GAO) to designate the 2010 census as a "high risk" federal program. >Sen. Carper called on the President to make the "overall success [of the >census] a top priority of your Administration." > >The Federal Financial Management panel has tentatively scheduled an >oversight hearing for February 25 to review the status of planning for >the 2010 census. > >Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to >the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications >Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions >about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at >TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to >other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News >Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org > >-- >Ed Christopher >Resource Center Planning Team >Federal Highway Administration >19900 Governors Drive >Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 >708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) >708-283-3501 (F) > >_______________________________________________ >ctpp-news mailing list >ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net >http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news > >_______________________________________________ >ctpp-news mailing list >ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net >http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news > >_______________________________________________ >ctpp-news mailing list >ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net >http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Patricia C. (Patty) Becker 248/354-6520 APB Associates/SEMCC FAX 248/354-6645 28300 Franklin Road Home 248/355-2428 Southfield, MI 48034 pbecker(a)umich.edu

15 years, 11 months

RE: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF

by Angie Byrne

One idea might be to let your state FHWA coordinators or someone who can ask Senator Gregg if he is interested in being part of this listserve. If so, we could precede to inform from that direction. Angie Byrne Transportation Planner Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Organization Western Arkansas Planning and Development District 1109 S. 16th St., P.O. Box 2067 Fort Smith, Arkansas 72902 (479) 785-2651 abyrne(a)wapdd.org <mailto:abyrne@wapdd.org> www.bistatempo.org <http://www.bistatempo.org> -----Original Message----- From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net]On Behalf Of Nancy Reger Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 5:28 PM To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net Subject: RE: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF Should we do anything--- ie say, welcome to Director Gregg and tell him how we use this data in the econ devt and transportation world as a community or just go solo? Nancy Reger, AICP Assistant Director, Transportation Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission 111 Liberty St; Ste 100 / Cols OH 43215 (p) 614-233-4154 / (e) nreger(a)morpc.org -----Original Message----- From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces@chrispy.net] On Behalf Of Ed Christopher Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 10:16 AM To: ctpp-news maillist Subject: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF PRESIDENT SELECTS SEN. GREGG FOR COMMERCE SECRETARY; SENATE CONSIDERS $1B FOR CENSUS IN STIMULUS BILL Plus: House Passes Stimulus Funds for Census President Obama has selected Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, to be his Commerce Secretary. The post would give Sen. Gregg authority over the Census Bureau and upcoming decennial census. The Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Department's Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), which also houses the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Sen. Gregg, a three-term senator, former representative, and former New Hampshire governor, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is a member and former chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (formerly Commerce, Justice, and State), which funds the Census Bureau. The biography posted on his official web site highlights his interest in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), another large Commerce Department agency. Sen. Gregg chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State during the 2000 census. In 1999, he questioned the Administration's request for additional census funding for fiscal year 2000; the Census Bureau had asked for an extra $1.7 billion after a Supreme Court decision forced it to redesign non-response follow-up operations. The House of Representatives had approved the full $4.5 billion for the census year, while the Senate allocated the $2.8 billion the Administration had sought before the Court ruling in a case challenging the use of sampling to compile census population counts used for congressional apportionment. Sen. Gregg especially questioned the House's proposal to designate all census funding for 2000 as "emergency" spending, which would remove the allocation from under tight budget caps. The impasse over census funding helped delay passage of final spending bills for 2000; Congress eventually approved the full funding request, designating the entire amount as an "emergency." The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold confirmation hearings for Sen. Gregg, while the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be responsible for confirming a Census director. President Obama has not yet nominated an Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, who oversees the ESA, or Census Bureau director; both positions require Senate confirmation. Economic stimulus bill includes extra funds for 2010 census: On January 28, by a vote of 244 - 188, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an $819 economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) that includes $1 billion in additional funds for the 2010 census. No Republican lawmakers supported the bill. The stimulus package requested by President Obama is also working its way through the U.S. Senate. Last week, the Committee on Appropriations approved its own version of the economic recovery package (S. 336), which includes $1 billion for the 2010 census. The funds would be available until September 30, 2010. The Census Bureau is required by law to report state population totals to the President by December 31, 2010, and detailed populations counts to the states for redistricting purposes by April 1, 2011. Committee report language (S. Rept. 111-3) directs the Census Bureau to use $780 million to hire more census takers "to count underserved communities"; $120 million to expand the Partnership Program, "with specific focus being placed on hard to reach populations"; and $100 million to increase outreach and promotion "to minority communities." Appropriators suggested that the Census Bureau hire additional staff who are experienced with partnership programs and are trusted community leaders who can convey the importance of participating in the census to "hard to reach" populations. The full Senate is considering the package this week. Amendments to strip or reduce some of the funding from the bill, including the proposed $1 billion for the 2010 census, are possible. The House version of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" does not lay out as many specific dollar amounts for spending the additional money, instead saying more broadly that the Census Bureau should "hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks to ensure a successful decennial." The Census Bureau should use $150 million for "expanded communications and outreach programs to minimize undercounting of minority groups," according to the House Appropriations committee. An analysis of the economic stimulus package by Robert Santos of the Urban Institute, a Washington, DC think-tank, concludes that the proposed spending for the 2010 census "would provide an infusion of new jobs, better community participation and a more accurate census." Dr. Santos calls the census "a shovel-ready infrastructure project," a reference to one of President Obama's criteria for including projects in a stimulus package. The analysis is available on-line at http://www.urban.org/issues/recovery.cfm#santos. Senator urges quick appointment of Census Director: Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security (Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), sent a letter to President Obama on January 28, urging him to "move quickly to fill the top leadership at the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau with individuals with the knowledge and the management skills necessary to get the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Census back on track for good." The chairman said that "serious challenges in managing key information technology activities" and reduced spending on advertising and outreach have led the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to designate the 2010 census as a "high risk" federal program. Sen. Carper called on the President to make the "overall success [of the census] a top priority of your Administration." The Federal Financial Management panel has tentatively scheduled an oversight hearing for February 25 to review the status of planning for the 2010 census. Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org -- Ed Christopher Resource Center Planning Team Federal Highway Administration 19900 Governors Drive Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) 708-283-3501 (F) _______________________________________________ ctpp-news mailing list ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news _______________________________________________ ctpp-news mailing list ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news

15 years, 11 months

Neil R Wiggins/STLS/FRS is out of the office.

by Neil.R.Wiggins＠stls.frb.org

I will be out of the office starting 02/04/2009 and will not return until 02/06/2009. I will respond to your message when I return.

15 years, 11 months

Jump to page:

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

ctpp-news