[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PRESERVE CRITICAL DATA IN THE 2000 CENSUS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 17, 1998

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a resolution 
expressing the Sense of the Congress that the 2000 Census should 
continue to collect demographic and socioeconomic data to promote sound 
decision making.
  On March 31, 1997, the Census Bureau submitted to Congress the 
subject matters for questions on the long form. The long form is sent 
to one in six households. Its questions will provide the only accurate 
and reliable source of demographic, social and economic data about our 
population and housing. The Census Bureau will collect only data that 
is specifically required by law or a Federal court for the 
implementation of programs or the allocation of Federal funds; the 
Bureau has dropped its 1990 questions that have no explicit statutory 
justification.
  The public sector relies on Census long form data. Federal agencies 
must have the information collected by the Census Bureau on the long 
form in order to administer federal programs. They also need this 
information to ensure that programs are inclusive, representative, and 
serve the needs of local populations. The U.S. Commission on Civil 
Rights needs the data to monitor discrimination based on national 
origin.
  Beyond the federal government, the largest non-federal users of long 
form information are local governments. The National Association of 
Counties adopted a resolution calling for a census long form ``to 
provide the useful demographic information necessary to guide our 
country into the 21st century.'' In addition, state, county, and 
municipal agencies; educators and human service providers; researchers; 
and political leaders all rely long form data. Members of Congress 
depend on accurate information. The questions on the long form give us 
insight into our communities, our transportation and infrastructure, 
our housing, and our ethnic constituencies.
  The private sector is a secondary, but important, beneficiary of long 
form data. Census data promote economic stability and growth in every 
sector of our economy. Retail, services, communications, and 
manufacturing companies rely on this data to allocate resources and 
develop investment strategies; to determine the location of new stores 
and plants; to assess the need for job training, educational, and child 
care programs; and to meet customer needs and preferences. 
Transportation providers use census data to assess the need for roads, 
highways, and transit systems. The housing industry relies on census 
data to gauge housing conditions, predict loan demand, and improve and 
expand housing in under-served markets. The private sector could not 
possibly replicate the information in the census.
  We must send a message to those involved in the 2000 Census--the 
Congress, the Census Bureau, and the Administration--that we must 
preserve the long form, the only tool that gives us a comprehensive 
picture of who we are as a nation.

                          ____________________