[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3581 Introduced in House (IH)]







                                    


106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3581

  To make additional funds available to the Secretary of Commerce for 
     purposes of the 2000 decennial census, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2000

    Mrs. Maloney of New York (for herself and Mrs. Meek of Florida) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To make additional funds available to the Secretary of Commerce for 
     purposes of the 2000 decennial census, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Constitution requires that the number of persons in 
        the Nation be enumerated every 10 years in order to permit the 
        apportionment of Representatives in Congress among the several 
        States;
            (2) information collected through a decennial census is 
        also used to determine--
                    (A) the boundaries of congressional districts 
                within the States;
                    (B) the boundaries of the districts for the 
                legislature of each State and the boundaries of other 
                political subdivisions within the States; and
                    (C) the allocation of billions of dollars of 
                Federal and State funds;
            (3) the 1990 decennial census missed over 8,000,000 
        Americans, and was the first one in history to be less accurate 
        than the previous decennial census;
            (4) the 1990 decennial census missed 4.4 percent of all 
        African-Americans, 5 percent of all Hispanics, 2.3 percent of 
        all Asian-Pacific Americans, and 4.5 percent of all American-
        Indians, thereby denying these communities adequate political 
        representation and their fair share of Federal funding;
            (5) in the 1990 decennial census, only 2 out of every 3 
        households returned their census forms;
            (6) in order to obtain an accurate census, the Bureau of 
        the Census sends enumerators to visit every household that does 
        not return a census form, which is an extremely costly and 
        time-consuming process;
            (7) the mailback response rate has been declining over the 
        past several decennial censuses, and is expected to decline yet 
        again in the 2000 census;
            (8) the Bureau of the Census has estimated that the 
        mailback response rate for the 2000 decennial census will be 
        approximately 61 percent;
            (9) a recent report by the General Accounting Office found 
        that if the mailback response rate for the 2000 decennial 
        census is less than 61 percent, or if the Bureau of the Census 
        is unable to hire enough enumerators at its proposed wage 
        scale, the Bureau would have to adopt a contingency plan to 
        guarantee an accurate count; such a plan would require the 
        Bureau to spend more money than is currently budgeted for the 
        2000 decennial census;
            (10) the Bureau of the Census estimates that it will need 
        to recruit nearly 3,500,000 applicants to fill about 860,000 
        positions for the 2000 decennial census, a staffing goal that 
        will be difficult to achieve because the labor market has 
        become increasingly tight;
            (11) in 1993, the Bureau concluded that legislation 
        providing that pay for temporary census enumerators in the 2000 
        decennial census which did not reduce benefits under Federal 
        assistance programs would make it easier for the Bureau to hire 
        neighborhood people as temporary census enumerators in low-
        income neighborhoods;
            (12) Congress must act before the start of the decennial 
        census to guarantee that additional funding will be available 
        in the event that the Bureau of the Census is forced to devote 
        additional resources to obtain an accurate count; and
            (13) if Congress fails to so act, the result may be a less 
        accurate decennial census that disproportionately harms our 
        Nation's minorities, children, and urban and rural poor.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--For necessary expenses to conduct the 2000 
decennial census, there is appropriated, out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, an additional $100,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2000, to remain available until expended.
    (b) Condition.--The amount appropriated under this Act shall be 
available for obligation or expenditure only if, and to the extent 
that, the Secretary of Commerce first submits to Congress a written 
determination (supported by specific findings) that--
            (1) those funds are necessary to obtain an accurate and 
        timely 2000 decennial census; and
            (2) sufficient funds are not otherwise available for the 
        purposes involved.

SEC. 3. PROVISIONS TO PROMOTE THE RECRUITMENT OF TEMPORARY CENSUS 
              EMPLOYEES.

    (a) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
            (1) the term ``2000 census position'' means a temporary 
        position in the Bureau of the Census established for purposes 
        relating to the 2000 decennial census;
            (2) the term ``temporary'' is used in the same way as 
        described in section 24(b) of title 13, United States Code;
            (3) the term ``census'' means a census of population within 
        the meaning of section 141(g) of title 13, United States Code;
            (4) the terms ``uniformed services'' and ``Secretary 
        concerned'' have the meanings given those terms by section 101 
        of title 37, United States Code; and
            (5) the term ``voluntary separation incentive payment'' 
        includes such a payment, whether offered on a Governmentwide 
        basis or otherwise.
    (b) Authorization for Members of Uniformed Services To Hold 
Temporary Census Employment.--A member of the uniformed services, with 
the approval of the Secretary concerned, may be appointed to and 
compensated for service in a 2000 census position without regard to the 
member's duty status, including status on active duty. Such an 
appointment, if accepted, shall not affect the member's status in the 
member's uniformed service or the member's pay and allowances as such a 
member.
    (c) Temporary Census Employment Not To Affect Right To Retain a 
Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment.--The acceptance of an 
appointment to a 2000 census position shall not be taken into account 
for purposes of applying section 3(d) of Public Law 103-226 or any 
similar provision of law, rule, or regulation requiring the repayment 
of a voluntary separation incentive payment by reason of an 
individual's accepting reemployment with the Government.
    (d) Compensation for Service as a Temporary Census Employee Not To 
Cause Ineligibility for or any Reduction in Certain Benefits.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the earning or receipt by an individual of compensation 
        for service performed by such individual in a 2000 census 
        position shall not have the effect of causing--
                    (A) such individual or any other individual to 
                become ineligible for any benefits described in 
                paragraph (2); or
                    (B) a reduction in the amount of any benefits 
                described in paragraph (2) for which such individual or 
                any other individual would otherwise be eligible.
            (2) Benefits described.--This subsection shall apply with 
        respect to benefits provided under any Federal program or under 
        any State or local program financed in whole or in part with 
        Federal funds.
            (3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall 
        be considered to apply with respect to the Internal Revenue 
        Code of 1986.
    (e) Applicability.--Subsections (b) and (c) shall apply with 
respect to an appointment to a 2000 census position accepted after the 
date of enactment of this Act and before January 1, 2001. Subsection 
(d) shall apply with respect to compensation for service performed in a 
2000 census position after the date of enactment of this Act and before 
January 1, 2001.
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