[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 14 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 14

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Bureau of 
  Labor Statistics should adopt statistical measures that accurately 
        reflect the United States workforce of the 21st century.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2005

Mr. Dreier (for himself, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Oxley, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. King 
 of Iowa, and Mr. Kline) submitted the following resolution; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Bureau of 
  Labor Statistics should adopt statistical measures that accurately 
        reflect the United States workforce of the 21st century.

Whereas the United States economy is undergoing a transformation to a 21st 
        century economy driven by innovation and entrepreneurship;
Whereas the United States economy is marked by an increasingly independent and 
        self-employed labor force;
Whereas self-employed Americans who possess unique and valuable skills are the 
        fastest growing sector of the United States labor force;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics produces two total employment 
        measurements--the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Current 
        Employment Statistics (CES) survey--which have diverged in their 
        measurements of job creation;
Whereas, as of November 2004, the difference in measurements of job creation 
        between the CPS and the CES survey was approximately 3,000,000 jobs;
Whereas evidence suggests that current statistical methodologies used to produce 
        the CPS and the CES survey are potentially undercounting or overcounting 
        employment in certain circumstances;
Whereas Congress relies on economic data from United States statistical agencies 
        in considering policies that will impact job creation, prosperity, and 
        opportunity; and
Whereas the need for the highest quality and most accurate economic data is a 
        constant priority: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the Advisory Committee of the Bureau of Labor 
        Statistics should evaluate its current statistical measurements 
        of employment to ensure that all categories and methods of 
        employment in the United States economy are accurately 
        reflected;
            (2) such evaluation should include an examination of the 
        need for and effect of the following:
                    (A) increasing the sample size of the Current 
                Population Survey (CPS);
                    (B) smoothing the month-to-month data in the CPS 
                time series;
                    (C) adjusting the Current Employment Statistics 
                (CES) survey to account for monthly job turnover; and
                    (D) adopting such other standards and practices as 
                are necessary to ensure that the data published by the 
                Bureau of Labor Statistics are as accurate and 
                reflective of employment in the United States as 
                possible; and
            (3) the Advisory Committee should report to Congress its 
        findings, conclusions, and recommendations from such 
        evaluation, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics should update 
        its statistical methodologies in accordance with such findings, 
        conclusions, and recommendations as expeditiously as possible.
                                 <all>