[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 141 (Monday, October 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              CENSUS ADDRESS LIST IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1994

  Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5084) to amend title 13, United States Code, to improve the 
accuracy of census address lists, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5084

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Census Address List 
     Improvement Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 2. ADDRESS INFORMATION REVIEWED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 1 of title 13, United States Code, 
     is amended by adding after section 15 the following new 
     section:

     ``Sec. 16. Address information reviewed by States and local 
       governments

       ``(a) The Secretary, to assist efforts to ensure the 
     accuracy of censuses and surveys under this title, shall--
       ``(1) publish standards defining the content and structure 
     of address information which States and local units of 
     general purpose government may submit to the Secretary to be 
     used in developing a national address list;
       ``(2)(A) develop and publish a timetable for the Bureau to 
     receive, review, and respond to submissions of information 
     under paragraph (1) before the decennial census date; and
       ``(B) provide for a response by the Bureau with respect to 
     such submissions in which the Bureau specifies its 
     determinations regarding such information and the reasons for 
     such determinations; and
       ``(3) be subject to the review process developed under 
     section 3 of the Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994 
     relating to responses pursuant to paragraph (2).
       ``(b)(1) The Secretary--
       ``(A) shall provide officials who are designated as census 
     liaisons by a local unit of general purpose government with 
     access to census address information for the purpose of 
     verifying the accuracy of the address information of the 
     Bureau of census and survey purposes; and
       ``(B) together with such access, should provide an 
     explanation of duties and obligations under this title.
       ``(2) Access under paragraph (1) shall be limited to 
     address information concerning addresses within the local 
     unit of general purpose government represented by the census 
     liaison or an adjacent local unit of general purpose 
     government.
       ``(3) The Bureau should respond to each recommendation made 
     by a census liaison concerning the accuracy of address 
     information, including the determination (and reasons 
     therefor) of the Bureau regarding each such recommendation.
       ``(4) For the purposes of paragraph (1), in a case in which 
     a local unit of general purpose government is within another 
     local unit of general purpose government and is not 
     independent of the enclosing unit, the census liaison shall 
     be designated by the local unit of general purpose government 
     which is within the enclosing local unit of general purpose 
     government.
       ``(5) A census liaison may not use information made 
     available under paragraph (1) for any purpose other than the 
     purpose specified in paragraph (1).
       ``(c) For the purposes of this section--
       ``(1) the term `local unit of general purpose government' 
     has the meaning given such term by section 184(1) of this 
     title; and
       ``(2) the term `State' includes the District of Columbia, 
     the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the 
     Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin 
     Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United 
     States.''.
       (b) Confidentiality.--Section 9(a) of such title is 
     amended--
       (1) by inserting ``or local government census liaison,'' 
     after ``thereof,''; and
       (2) by inserting ``or 16'' after ``section 8''.
       (c) Penalty.--Section 214 of such title is amended by 
     inserting ``or whoever, being or having been a census liaison 
     within the meaning of section 16 of this title, after 
     ``title,'' the second place it appears.
       (d) Clearical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of chapter 1 of such title is amended by inserting 
     after the item relating to section 15 the following:

``16. Address information reviewed by local governments.''.

     SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF APPEALS PROCESS BY ADMINISTRATOR OF 
                   THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION AND REGULATORY 
                   AFFAIRS.

       The Administrator of the Office of Information and 
     Regulatory Affairs, acting through the Chief Statistician and 
     in consultation with the Bureau of the Census, shall develop 
     an appeals process for those States and local units of 
     general purpose government which desire to appeal 
     determinations of the Bureau of the Census pursuant to 
     section 16(a)(2) or (b)(3) of title 13, United States Code. 
     Appeals under such process shall be resolved before the 
     decennial census date. The Chief Statistician shall publish 
     the proposed appeals process for a period of public comment 
     before finalizing such process.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORITY OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO SHARE 
                   ADDRESS LISTS.

       Section 412 of title 39, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking out ``Except'' and all that follows through 
     ``law,'' and inserting in lieu thereof;
       ``(a) Except as specifically provided by subsection (b) or 
     other law,''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b) The Postal Service shall provide to the Secretary of 
     Commerce for use by the Bureau of the Census such address 
     information, address-related information, and point of postal 
     delivery information, including postal delivery codes, as may 
     be determined by the Secretary to be appropriate for any 
     census or survey being conducted by the Bureau of the Census. 
     The provision of such information under this subsection shall 
     be in accordance with such mutually agreeable terms and 
     conditions, including reimbursability, as the Postal Service 
     and the Secretary of Commerce shall deem appropriate.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio [Mr. Sawyer] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the gentleman 
from New York [Mr. Gilman] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Sawyer].

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