[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 12, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H9878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENCOURAGING MEMBERS TO JOIN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CENSUS BUREAU TO 
                       ACHIEVE AN ACCURATE CENSUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in agreement with my 
colleague, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney). We have had 
our differences over the past 2 years with the Census issue, but this 
is one time we are now coming together, as we are so close to our 
decennial census, which has just about 6 months to go.
  Our goal is common: We want to have the most accurate count, and 
count everybody living in this great country as of April 1 of the year 
2000.
  Tonight I rise to discuss an important program of the Census Bureau. 
That is a bipartisan congressional partnership with the Bureau to 
promote the participation in the 2000 decennial census. It is just 6 
months away, and the Bureau will undertake the largest peacetime 
mobilization in the Nation's history, conducting the 2000 Census.
  This massive undertaking deserves our support at the local level. The 
key to ensuring a successful census that counts everyone in America is 
outreach and promotion in every neighborhood. Broad-based participation 
in the Census must start from within our communities. The Census Bureau 
must use every effort possible to promote participation in the Census. 
While the Census Bureau does this in several ways, I am here to talk 
about one of the more important ways I feel the Census Bureau promotes 
the Census, and those are the partnerships.
  The Census Bureau is in the process of forming partnerships with 
hundreds and thousands of groups, organizations, and individuals from 
all sectors of the population and all sizes, ranging from Goodwill 
Industries to local places of worship. It is only fitting and proper 
that Congress join with these groups across the Nation by partnering 
with the Census Bureau, and that is why I am speaking here this 
evening.
  This proposed partnership with Members of the House of 
Representatives seems to me to be one of the most logical partnerships 
of all. These partnership programs are designed to utilize the 
resources and knowledge of the local partners, and who knows better the 
local area and the problems the Bureau may face than Members who serve 
those districts?
  Moreover, there are 435 Members in this House who worked tirelessly 
for our districts, and most of us go home every weekend to work very 
hard for the people who elected us as their representatives. We know 
what it will take to have a successful Census in our districts, and 
what better way to serve these very people than promoting the Census 
and helping them get the most accurate count possible?
  After all, the decennial census distributes over $180 billion in 
Federal funds annually. The Census tells us where schools, roads, and 
lunch programs are most needed. We as representatives owe it to our 
constituents to make sure they receive the services they need. The best 
way to do this is through promoting participation in our districts. 
This is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue, this is an 
American issue.
  Tomorrow we will be celebrating the kickoff of this vitally important 
partnership. The gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and her staff 
have been working very hard to make this partnership between the Bureau 
and the House of Representatives a success.
  Tomorrow, Director Kenneth Prewitt will be holding a briefing for 
Members only to explain this partnership program and answer any 
questions they have. I urge all of my colleagues to attend the briefing 
tomorrow to learn more about this partnership program and how Members 
can get involved in their own districts.
  I think Members will find the Bureau has put together a comprehensive 
set of activities that Members can easily take back to their districts 
to increase public participation. Following the briefing, we will hold 
a press conference to unveil House Concurrent Resolution 193, a 
resolution that affirms a partnership between the Census Bureau and the 
House of Representatives. House Concurrent Resolution 193 recognizes 
the importance of achieving a successful census, encouraging groups to 
continue to work towards a successful census, reaffirms our spirit of 
cooperation with the Census Bureau, and asserts a public partnership 
between Congress and the Bureau of the Census.
  While we may have had our differences in the past, the gentlewoman 
from New York (Mrs. Maloney) and I have joined forces to introduce this 
legislation, which merits broad-based bipartisan support. The decennial 
census is a cornerstone of our democracy, and it is vital that all 
Members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, publicly support 
activities to enhance public participation.
  I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor House Concurrent Resolution 
193 and to bolster congressional presence during tomorrow's activities.

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