[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H1573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SUPPORT A COMPLETE AND THOROUGH COUNT OF EVERY CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY 
                          FOR THE NEXT CENSUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I take pride in joining my Democratic 
colleagues in supporting a complete and thorough count of every citizen 
in this country for the next census.
  The year 2000 will usher in a new year, a new decade, a new century 
and a new millennium. It is more important now than in any other time 
in our history to ensure that every citizen will be counted and that 
that count will be as accurate as possible.
  The 1990 undercount of 4 million people had a disproportionate effect 
on minorities, women and children, particularly women on ranches and 
farms. Many individuals were denied an equal voice in their government.

                              {time}  2045

  Millions were double-counted, and millions more were not counted at 
all.
  Census data directly affects decisions made on all matters of 
national and local importance, including education, employment, public 
health care, housing, and transportation, among other things.
  Federal, State, and county government use Census information to guide 
the annual distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in critical 
services. The data is also used to monitor and to enforce compliance 
with civil rights statutes, employment, housing, lending, education, 
and antidiscrimination laws.
  Finally, the accuracy of the Census directly affects our Nation's 
ability to ensure equal representation and equal access to important 
governmental resources for all Americans.
  Ensuring a fair and accurate Census must be regarded as one of the 
most significant civil rights issues facing the country today. If we 
accept the current Census count of nearly 2 million farms in the United 
States, only 6 percent will be represented as being operated by women. 
This small percentage reflects that women on ranches and farms have 
been severely undercounted. This inaccurate count is also due to the 
type of information collected by the Census Bureau and the Department 
of Agriculture in their yearly count.
  Mr. Speaker, everyone counts. Minorities count. Women and children 
count. Young men and elderly men count. Farmers and small business 
owners count. Rural Americans count. Urban Americans count. Suburban 
and inner city dwellers count. In America, Mr. Speaker, we all count. 
Let us have a Census that does just that, count all of us fairly and 
accurately. Let us count the Census correctly.

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