[CTPP] Census 2000 News Alert

From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> House Approves Post Census Local Review Bill Despite Census Bureau Objections New National Academy of Sciences Panel Report Available The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved legislation to require a 45-day local review of preliminary housing unit counts as part of the 2000 census. Lawmakers passed the bill after rejecting an alternative proposal to give the Census Bureau more flexibility in providing opportunities for local officials to review address lists and census maps. The final vote of 223 - 206 fell mostly along party lines. Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD) was the only Republican to vote against the bill, while Democratic Reps. Leonard Boswell (D-IA), Virgil Goode (D-VA), Gene Taylor (D-MS), and James Traficant (D-OH) joined all other Republicans in voting for the measure. H.R. 472, sponsored by census subcommittee Chairman Dan Miller (R-FL), would require the Bureau to send preliminary household counts and jurisdictional boundaries to all local and Tribal governments by August 1, 2000. Local officials would have 45 working days to review and challenge the information. (The program only involves challenges to housing unit counts or address lists, not population counts.) The Bureau must investigate all challenges and recanvass neighborhoods, if necessary, to identify and enumerate missed housing units. The Bureau would have to complete its review and notify local officials of the results by November 1, 2000. Proponents of H.R. 472 called it a "common sense" way to give local officials a chance to spot problems with the census count before the numbers become final. They argued that a post- census local review would improve the accuracy of the count and build local confidence in the census process. Supporters generally lauded the pre-census local review of address lists and maps (called the Local Update of Census Addresses, or LUCA, program) but said many small towns and rural communities did not have the fiscal resources or expertise to participate fully in this activity. Opponents, led by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), called the bill a "delaying tactic" to prevent the Census Bureau from completing its Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (ACE) program, which includes a post-enumeration survey to measure and correct any undercounts and overcounts in the initial tally. They cited an April 12 letter in which Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt said the requirements imposed by H.R. 472 "will harm the ability of the Census Bureau to carry out its basic mission of providing the most accurate census counts for all purposes." The bill "would adversely affect the timing and quality of census operations, including the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation," Dr. Prewitt wrote. Rep. Maloney, the census subcommittee's senior Democrat, offered an alternative proposal that would have allowed the Secretary of Commerce to decide the most appropriate procedures for local review of address lists and maps, including an opportunity for local officials to add newly-constructed housing through Census Day and to verify housing units identified by the Postal Service as vacant. The substitute measure also would have ensured that any local review would not interfere with the Bureau's ability to use scientific methods to account for people missed by mail and door-to-door visits. The House defeated the Maloney amendment 226 - 202. In a statement to the press yesterday, Commerce Secretary William Daley said H.R. 472 would "disrupt census operations by allowing 39,000 local governments to contest counts within their jurisdictions long after April 1, 2000. ...Based on the Bureau's analysis of the legislation, I would strongly recommend to the President that he veto this legislation if it was presented to him." Vice President Albert Gore issued a statement saying the bill would "reduce the accuracy of Census 2000 and seriously disrupt its schedule." National Academy of Sciences panel issues final report: The National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council Panel on Alternative Census Methodologies has issued its final report, "Measuring a Changing Nation: Modern Methods for the 2000 Census." The report is available from the National Academy Press by calling 202/334-3313 or 800/624-6242., The panel began its review of the Census 2000 design and plan in 1995. It looked at the results of the 1995 and 1996 census tests, with a particular focus on proposed uses of sampling to complete the count of unresponsive households and to measure the accuracy of the initial count. In two previous interim reports, the panel discussed several census operations, including address list development, the use of administrative records, and plans for a replacement questionnaire. The final report was drafted prior to the January 1999 Supreme Court ruling that the Census Act bars sampling to compile the state population totals used for apportionment and the Census Bureau's subsequent revisions to the 2000 plan. Census deputy director departing: Bradford Huther, Deputy Director of the Census Bureau, will step down from his position at the end of April to pursue an opportunity with a United Nations agency in Geneva, Switzerland. In announcing the departure, Director Prewitt called Mr. Huther a "talented and dedicated deputy director" who "leaves [the Census Bureau] a better institution than when he arrived." Prior to joining the Bureau in 1997, Mr. Huther was the chief financial officer and associate commissioner at the Commerce Department's Patent and Trademark Office. The deputy director position at the Census Bureau is filled by a career civil servant. Mr. Huther's replacement has not been named. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to TerriAnn Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at <terriann2k(a)aol.com>om>. Please direct all requests to receive News Alerts, and all changes in address/phone/fax/e-mail, to the Census 2000 Initiative at <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> or 202/326-8700. Please feel free to circulate this information to colleagues and other interested individuals.