[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 44 (Monday, April 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2460-S2461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN SUPPORT OF THE DECENNIAL CENSUS

  Mr. AKAKA. Madam President, during last week's consideration of S. 
Con. Res. 101, the congressional budget resolution, the Senate by voice 
vote agreed to a modified amendment (amendment 3028) offered by the 
Senator from New Hampshire (Senator Smith) that:

       Assume(s) that no American will be prosecuted, fined or in 
     anyway harassed by the Federal government or its agents for 
     failure to respond to any census questions which refer to an 
     individual's race, national origin, living conditions, 
     personal habits or mental and/or physical condition, but that 
     all Americans are encouraged to send in their census forms.

  There are serious consequences for state, local, and Federal 
Government when people are missed by the census. There are 
approximately 1,327 federal domestic assistance programs that use 
population information in some way. The breadth of the programs 
affected that touch families and businesses throughout the nation 
clearly spells out the need to ensure that all Americans are counted. 
The questions asked by the census represent a balance between the needs 
of our nation's communities and the need to keep the time and effort 
required to complete the form to a minimum. Federal and state funds for 
schools, employment services, housing assistance, road construction, 
day care facilities, hospitals, emergency services, programs for 
seniors, and much more are distributed based on census figures.
  The percentage of people undercounted in Hawaii--1.9 percent--was 
higher than the national average, and the largest component of the 
undercount by race was projected to be Asians and Pacific Islanders. I 
was so concerned that Hawaii would once more have a higher than average 
undercount that on March 14, 2000, I held a forum in Hawaii on the 
Census 2000. At that forum, I urge Native Hawaiians and other Pacific 
Islanders to take advantage of the 2000 Census as an opportunity to be 
accurately represented in data and statistics that will impact our 
lives for the next 10 years. During the forum, which was attended by 
Congressman Eni Faleomavaega from American Samoa, Hawaii's Lieutenant 
Governor Mazie Hirono, representatives from the Census Bureau, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Interior, and various Native 
Hawaiian and Other

[[Page S2461]]

Pacific Islander organizations, I strongly urged everyone to answer 
their questionnaires.
  The Senate agreed to the Smith amendment, as modified, on April 7, 
2000. However, if there is no objection, I am submitting to the Record 
a statement by Census Director Kenneth Prewitt, regarding the Sense of 
the Senate amendment, Number 3028 to the concurrent resolution, S. Con. 
Res. 101:

       The Census Bureau is required by law to collect a complete 
     response from every resident in America to both the census 
     short and long forms. Today's sense of the Senate amendment 
     would undermine the quality of information from both forms. 
     Census 2000 is not designed by law as a pick and choose 
     exercise. Serious degradation of census information will 
     negatively affect economic policy-making, public sector 
     expenditures and private sector investment for a decade.
       The census procedures require enumerators in the non-
     response follow up phase to make six attempts to collect 
     information. Congress would have to advise the Census Bureau 
     whether six attempts (or even a single attempt) would 
     constitute harassment.

     Kenneth Prewitt,
     Director, U.S. Census Bureau,
     April 7, 2000.
  Madam President, I suggest the absence after quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. NICKLES. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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