[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              CENSUS ADDRESS LIST IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 1994

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed 
to immediate consideration of H.R. 5084, the Census Address List 
Improvement Act of 1994, just received from the House, the bill be read 
three times, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
that any statements relating to this matter be in placed in the Record 
at the appropriate place as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 5084) was ordered to a third reading, was read the 
third time, and passed.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I support of H.R. 5084, the Census 
Address List Improvement Act of 1994. This bill amends title 13 to 
allow the Census Bureau to share its nameless address list with state 
and local governments in preparation for taking the decennial census. 
The bill provides safeguards for the privacy of the information and 
forbids any use by local official beyond census activities. It is 
endorsed by the Conference of Mayors, the League of Cities, and the 
administration. The House bill was jointly introduced by 
Representatives Sawyer and Petri H.R. 5084 was scored by CBO as saving 
$33 million over 5 years. It should be noted that those savings do not 
include any savings in conducting the census. Were those included the 
savings would be much greater.
  In preparing for the census the Bureau develops a list of all 
addresses in the U.S. to which census forms will be mailed. In the 
past, disputes over how many addresses or households were in a 
particular jurisdiction were settled by the Census Bureau. This left 
many jurisdictions believing they did not get a fair hearing. The 
problem was as common in major metropolitan cities like Detroit with 
million of households as well as small communities like Lincoln, 
Wisconsin with 254. Although the town clerk of Lincoln argued that it 
should be 275 not 254.
  H.R. 5084 provides a mechanism for a local jurisdiction to appoint an 
individual to be sworn in by the Census Bureau as a ``census liaison''. 
That would give the local official the authority to look at the address 
list--without names--the Bureau intends to use for the Census and make 
any corrections. Local officials are provided only with information for 
their jurisdiction, or in the case of problems with the Census Bureau's 
boundaries, adjacent jurisdictions. The census liaison is subject to 
the same fines and penalties as Census Bureau employees for violating 
the confidentiality of the information.
  H.R. 5084 requires the Chief Statistician of the United States to 
establish a procedure for adjudicating disputes between the Census 
Bureau and local jurisdictions. The only restriction the bill puts on 
this process is that it must be completed prior to the day the census 
is conducted. The Chief Statistician was chosen for this role to assure 
that a fair and unbiased hearing was given to all disputes, and that 
local jurisdictions be assured their case is heard by an impartial 
party not subject to the dispute. It is the intent of the drafters of 
this bill that Office of Management and Budget be the independent party 
to develop the process, and that the process take place outside the 
Department of Commerce. It is not our intent that the Chief 
Statistician be the arbitrator of these disputes nor is it our intent 
that the dispute resolution take place within the Office of Management 
and Budget.
  The intent is not to impugn the integrity of the Department of 
Commerce. In fact, it is just the opposite. No matter how fair and 
reasoned a judgment the Department may make, its vested roll in the 
process will leave some with the impression that a fair hearing was not 
given. In structuring the bill we have given the Chief Statistician 
wide latitude to design a process which assures a fair hearing. We are 
confident in her ability to do just that.
  H.R. 5084 will benefit both federal and local governments. The Census 
Bureau will save money both in preparing its list and, because of the 
improved quality of the list, in conducting the census. Local 
governments will have the opportunity to make sure the census is done 
correctly and that they receive credit for all of the households in 
their jurisdiction.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill for the benefit of the 
local jurisdictions within their state, and to assure the most accurate 
census possible.

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