From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> President Nominates C. Louis Kincannon To Head Census Bureau Plus: Congressional Hearing on Counting Americans Abroad; Census Bureau Releases ACS Test Data for Nation & States; Census Funding Update On July 27, President Bush announced his intent to nominate Mr. C. Louis Kincannon to be Census Bureau director. Mr. Kincannon served as the Bureau's deputy director, a career civil service position, from 1982 to 1992. Twice during that period he assumed the post of Acting Director, most notably in 1989 in the midst of final preparations for the 1990 decennial census. In late 1992, Mr. Kincannon left the Census Bureau to become the first chief statistician in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, a position he held until June 2000. Mr. Kincannon, a native of Texas, began his career as a statistician at the Census Bureau in 1963. His professional experience includes statistical and regulatory policy work at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. He is the recipient of several awards for distinguished civil service, including the Commerce Department's Gold Medal in 1985. Mr. Kincannon is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and pursued post-graduate studies in statistics and economics at several Washington, D.C. area universities. Rep. Dan Miller (R-FL), chairman of the Subcommittee on the Census, praised Mr. Kincannon as "eminently qualified to lead the Census Bureau" and urged the Senate to act quickly on the nomination. Rep. William "Lacy" Clay (D-MO), the subcommittee's senior Democrat, said he looked forward to working with Mr. Kincannon to ensure improvements in the Census Bureau's small area estimates program, the American Community Survey, and recruitment of talented statistical and managerial staff. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), also a subcommittee member, said she hoped the nominee "will be brave enough to put an end to the politicization of the Census Bureau that has occurred" under the current Administration. The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, chaired by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), is charged with considering Mr. Kincannon's nomination. The committee has not announced a timetable for a hearing and confirmation vote. House panel explores count of Americans abroad: On July 26, the House Subcommittee on the Census held a hearing on the feasibility of counting private American citizens living outside of the United States in future censuses. One week earlier, the House adopted an amendment to the Census Bureau's funding bill that designates $2.5 million to plan for such a count in 2010. Chairman Miller said that while there are legitimate reasons to include Americans abroad in the census, he also had many questions about its feasibility. Among the issues that must be addressed, the congressman suggested, are how the Census Bureau would verify citizenship, and whether the numbers would be used for apportionment, redistricting, and the allocation of federal funds. [Note: The decennial census counts all persons residing in the United States, regardless of citizenship or legal status.] Rep. Clay acknowledged a "groundswell in Congress" for counting Americans abroad in the census but noted the Census Bureau's deep continuing concerns about its feasibility. He also raised several policy questions, including the cost and operational consequences of adding a major new component to the census, and the implications of a voluntary count abroad in light of mandatory response within the United States. Rep. Maloney, sponsor of the amendment added to the funding bill, chastised the Census Bureau for its lack of progress in planning for an overseas count, saying the agency "would rather continue to list the challenges than come up with possible solutions." The congresswoman also introduced legislation (H.R. 680) to require a preliminary count of Americans abroad in 2004. The subcommittee heard testimony from Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-NY), sponsor of the "Full Equality for Americans Abroad Act" (H.R. 1745) and former chairman of the Committee on International Relations. The bill would require the inclusion of American citizens living abroad in the census state population totals used for congressional apportionment. Rep. Gilman said it is "discriminatory" to count members of the armed forces and federal government employees stationed abroad but not private citizens for this purpose. Edward Betancourt, representing the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs, told subcommittee members that while the department estimates the number of U.S. citizens within foreign countries for planning purposes, "we currently have no means or ability to count them." The overseas American population includes students, children born abroad to American parents, and Americans serving criminal sentences in foreign prisons, he noted, as well as citizens and non-citizens who receive Social Security and veterans benefits. Americans living abroad are not required to register with a U.S. embassy or consulate or to notify an embassy if they leave a foreign country. The lack of such requirements, Mr. Betancourt said, means there are no complete or accurate address lists to which census questionnaires could be sent. He also cautioned that verifying citizenship could be difficult because many people lack documentation (for example, travel to Mexico and Canada does not require a U.S. passport) and because citizenship status is determined by a complex set of laws. The Bureau of Consular Affairs, Mr. Betancourt emphasized, lacked sufficient fiscal resources and staff to verify the citizenship of potentially millions of persons and to support Census Bureau enumeration activities in foreign countries. The agency could publicize information about an overseas census count through its web site, emergency warning systems, and outreach programs, he suggested. The hearing concluded with a panel of witnesses from organizations representing the interests of private Americans living and working in foreign countries: Democrats Abroad, Republicans Abroad, American Business Council of the Gulf Countries (ABCGC), American Citizens Abroad, The Association of Americans Resident Overseas, and The Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas, Inc. All of the spokespersons unequivocally supported the inclusion of U.S. citizens abroad in the census, with some suggesting it would be easy to locate people who pay taxes and vote, and others recommending a preliminary count to evaluate the accuracy of the results. The witnesses emphasized the role Americans living abroad play in promoting the nation's political and economic interests. T.B. Mac McClelland, of the ABCGC, said Americans working overseas "serve as the front-line marketing and sales force for U.S. exports." They also criticized the Census Bureau for treating U.S. citizens abroad differently than military and federal personnel working abroad, an oversight they said denies them equal protection under the Constitution. The organizations offered to help the Census Bureau promote census response among Americans abroad; some proposed a greater role for Consular Affairs offices, while others pointed to global media, Chambers of Commerce, U.S. businesses, and educational and civic associations as avenues of outreach. The witnesses said their get-out-the-vote experience could help the Bureau reach some of the foreign-based American population. Chairman Miller acknowledged that overseas Americans with ties to civic organizations might be easier to reach, but cautioned that, "[A]ny effort to count Americans abroad... must be equal in its effort for all groups of Americans, in all countries, or it will run the risk of being subject to painstaking litigation." American Community Survey data released for nation and states: The Census Bureau released the first set of data from last year's Census 2000 Supplementary Survey (C2SS), which canvassed 700,000 housing units in a national-scale demonstration of the proposed American Community Survey (ACS). The national and state level data closely mirror the range of information collected from one in six households on the Census 2000 long form, including data on housing conditions, ancestry, veterans' status, income, educational attainment, and commuting habits. However, the supplementary survey did not include college dormitories, prisons, military barracks, and other 'group quarters.' Long form data will be released on a flow basis in 2002-03. The Census Bureau made the supplementary survey data available to members of the press at a July 31st briefing in Washington, D.C. The results will be publicly available starting today (August 6) through the Bureau's web-based American Fact Finder (www.census.gov). The Bureau will release additional data from the C2SS, for most counties and cities of 250,000 or greater population, in the fall. The Census 2000 Supplementary Survey was conducted to test American Community Survey operations during a census year and to establish a benchmark for comparing ACS results with census long form data. The census produces point-in-time estimates referenced to April 1st (Census Day) and uses a 'usual residence' standard (e.g. where does this person usually live, as of April 1, 2000?) to put people in a specific household or group facility. The ACS will produce annual estimates by surveying 250,000 housing units every month using a 'current residence' rule (e.g. who currently lives here?) defined by two or more months of residency; no housing unit will be in the ACS sample more than once in a five year period. Appropriations update: The U.S. Senate adjourned late last week for its traditional August recess without considering the Commerce Department's fiscal year 2002 spending bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the Commerce, Justice, and State, The Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (S. 1215) on July 19, one day after the House of Representatives passed its own version (H.R. 2500) of the measure. The bills include funding for the Census Bureau, an agency of the Commerce Department. Congress will resume its legislative work after Labor Day. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to Terri Ann Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at mailto:terriann2k@aol.com. For copies of previous News Alerts and other information, use our web site www.census2000.org. If page does not load please go to this site http://199.45.37.193 - we have had some problems with our server which should be fixed by the end of this week. 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