********** C E N S U S 2 0 0 0 B U L L E T I N ********** Vol. 2 - No. 38 Aug. 6, 1998 Both President Clinton and Commerce Secretary William Daley issued separate statements yesterday (Aug. 5) following the House of Representatives' vote rejecting a move to lift restrictions on the Census Bureau's Fiscal Year 1999 budget. They follow in their entirety: Statement by the President "I am very disappointed that the House failed to adopt an amendment to the FY99 Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations bill that would have removed onerous restrictions on the Census Bureau's plan for the decennial census. By failing to adopt this amendment, the House is undermining the Census Bureau's ability to plan and conduct an accurate decennial census. "To ensure a fair and accurate count, my Administration has supported the 2000 census plan developed by the experts at the Census Bureau that was based upon recommendations by the National Academy of Sciences. It is a plan that will correct the inaccuracies of the 1990 census, which missed millions of Americans and disproportionately undercounted children, minorities, and residents in urban and rural communities. This is the first census of the 21st Century, and we must ensure that the census, the single most important source of information about the American people, is accurate. "Congress must remove these restrictions. It is critically important that the Census Bureau have the funding it needs to implement its 2000 census plan -- a plan that will produce the most accurate census in history using the best, most up-to-date scientific methods." Statement of U.S. Commerce Secretary William M. Daley "The House of Representatives voted today to limit FY 1999 funding for the 2000 Census to the first six months of the coming fiscal year, while holding captive the Census Bureau's remaining decennial census funds until Congress decides how our nation's next count shall be conducted. Such an action represents a veiled attempt to prevent the use of proven scientific statistical methods, endorsed by the National Academy of Sciences and the vast majority of non-partisan statistical experts and professional organizations, to ensure the most accurate census ever conducted. I will urge the President to veto the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations bill should it come to his desk with this restrictive language. "I was disappointed that the House failed to adopt the amendment offered by Representative Alan Mollohan which would have restored full-year FY 1999 funding for Census 2000, allowing the Bureau to continue its current planning for the decennial census. The Bureau is in the process of conducting critical large-scale operations, such as the creation of the address lists, the contracting for the printing of census forms, the purchasing of advanced data processing equipment, and the hiring of thousands of workers. These and other activities are essential to a successful census. Without the certainty of full-year funding, the Bureau cannot move forward with these operations and the prospects for Census 2000 are greatly undermined. "The Administration remains absolutely committed to conducting the best census in our nation's history, one which accounts for all Americans regardless of race, economic status, or geographic location. To do this requires FY 1999 budget certainty from the Congress and a plan that utilizes the most modern scientific techniques. I call upon the Congress to remedy this problem and fund the Census Bureau with its full-year appropriation. The American people deserve our very best in fulfilling this vital responsibility." For further information about this bulletin, contact either Mary F. Hanley (202-482-4883) or Karen A. Cowles (202-482-1523) of the Commerce Department's Office of Public Affairs.