[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4890-H4891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THOMAS JEFFERSON CENSUS BUREAU HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend 
the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5599) to designate the Federal 
building located at 4600 Silver Hill Road in Suitland, Maryland, as the 
``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5599

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) Thomas Jefferson, as Secretary of State in 1790, 
     supervised the first modern census in world history;
       (2) the 1790 census was the first national census in the 
     United States and the first periodic census in the modern 
     nation-state era;
       (3) Jefferson urged President Washington to veto the first 
     apportionment bill presented by Congress on the grounds that 
     it was unconstitutional, and Jefferson's own apportionment 
     formula was adopted and used until 1840;
       (4) Jefferson's mastery of numbers and statistical analysis 
     helped alert the Nation to the importance of accuracy in the 
     numbers used to describe the society and pointed to methods 
     that later improved census taking;
       (5) Jefferson offered population corrections to the 
     European diplomatic community to more accurately convey the 
     fast-growing United States population, which had been 
     undercounted in previous census taking;
       (6) Jefferson believed in the importance of territorial 
     expansion and insisted on equal representation for the 
     territories that were to join the Union as States;
       (7) Jefferson supervised the first census in world history 
     that gave to the people more than it took from them, being 
     designed less to extract taxes or raise a militia than to 
     apportion political power to the people of the United States 
     according to their numbers; and
       (8) Jefferson's role in establishing a republic based on 
     principles of representation underscores the historical 
     significance of the United States census and the way the 
     Government views and governs itself today.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal building located at 4600 Silver Hill Road in 
     Suitland, Maryland, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters Building''.

     SEC. 3. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 2 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Kuhl) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to 
revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on 
H.R. 5599.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 
such time as I might consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 5599 is a bill to designate the Federal building 
in Suitland, Maryland, as the Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau 
Headquarters Building. The bill has bipartisan support.
  Although Thomas Jefferson is best remembered as the third President 
of the United States, as the author of the Declaration of Independence, 
he also is considered by some to be the first director of the U.S. 
census.
  In 1790, while Secretary of State, Jefferson conducted the first 
national census. Although the practice of performing a census has been 
in practice for thousands of years, the U.S. census in considered to be 
the first modern periodic census. Several European countries followed 
suit shortly after in the early 19th century.
  Today, the results of the census are used to determine the size of 
congressional districts, the allocation of seats allotted to each State 
in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a factor in the allocation of 
Federal resources, and perhaps most importantly as a research tool to 
track economic and population trends in the United States.
  It is most fitting and proper that we support this designation and 
honor one of Jefferson's numerous contributions to our Nation's 
history. I support H.R. 5599.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  H.R. 5599 names the new Census Bureau headquarters building in 
Suitland, Maryland, as the Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters 
Building.
  As the first Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson was a strong 
advocate of a national census, and he supervised the first census in 
1790. Early population estimates misjudged the number of Americans in 
many areas, unfortunately, and it resulted in underrepresentation in 
many areas of this country in the first Congress. Under Jefferson's 
leadership, however, the census developed into a more useful and 
accurate process.
  Thomas Jefferson's advocacy for a complete and accurate census land 
laid the foundation for the Census Bureau we have today. He believed 
that an accurate census was essential to ensure that the government 
represented its people effectively. So it is fitting that the new 
census building bear his name, and I support the bill and urge its 
adoption and applaud my colleague, Representative Maloney, on bringing 
it before the House for its adoption today.
  But while we debate these matters, the issue persists, and that is 
the high cost of gasoline. And this Congress continues to ignore the 
rising cost of gasoline. American workers are struggling to fill up 
their tanks, and this Congress has done nothing to ease that burden. 
The Democratic majority has failed to provide the real leadership in 
addressing the high cost of fuel which requires an increased supply, 
American supply.
  Thank you, Madam Speaker, for an opportunity to speak on this.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes 
to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Maloney).
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for 
yielding and for her leadership in this Congress, and I rise in strong 
support of my bill H.R. 5599, a bill to designate the Census Bureau 
headquarters Federal building for Founding Father Thomas Jefferson.
  The Census Bureau has just been relocated to a modern state-of-the-
art building in Suitland, Maryland. I want to thank Chairman Oberstar 
and Congresswoman Holmes Norton for their help in moving this bill 
forward.
  I introduced this legislation along with colleagues that have been 
strong supporters of an accurate census--Holmes Norton, Hoyer, Davis, 
Turner, Ruppersberger, Honda, Gonzalez, Wynn, Cohen, and Cannon--to 
honor Thomas Jefferson's contributions to the modern census and the 
Founding Fathers' vision of a truly representative government in which 
every American counts.
  Jefferson's role in establishing a republic based on the principle of 
fair

[[Page H4891]]

representation emphasizes the historical significance of the American 
census and the way our government views and governs itself today. 
Jefferson's significant contributions to the early American census 
include his alerting the Nation to the importance of accuracy in census 
taking and his recognition of the need to fully represent newly 
acquired territories in the census.
  Historically, census taking was a negative thing. It was used for 
raising taxes for the militia. Thomas Jefferson, as Secretary of State, 
oversaw the first census in history, which was positive, which gave the 
people more than it took away by empowering those counted with a voice 
in their government.
  As we have heard in recent weeks, the 2010 census has some very 
serious challenges. Although much work remains to be done to ensure its 
successful implementation, naming this building for Thomas Jefferson 
underscores this Congress' commitment to getting it right and making 
sure that every citizen is counted.

                              {time}  1130

  A fair and accurate census, putting political power in the hands of 
the people, is a uniquely American invention. Let us honor our Founding 
Fathers' legacy by celebrating Thomas Jefferson, the father of the 
modern census.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5599, a bill 
to designate the Federal building located at 4600 Silver Hill Road in 
Suitland, Maryland, as the ``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau 
Headquarters Building''.
  The United States census is a count of the Nation's population, 
conducted every 10 years. The results are used for various purposes, 
including allocation of congressional seats and impacting Government 
program funding for States and localities. The U.S. Census Bureau is 
responsible for conducting the census and serves ``as the leading 
source of quality data about the Nation's people and economy,'' 
according to its mission.
  The census is our Nation's longest continuous scientific project. In 
1790, while Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson conducted the first 
official count of the Nation's population. Census Day was August 2, 
1790. The national census has several colonial predecessors with eight 
of the original 13 colonies having conducted their own census.
  President Jefferson not only was one of our Founding Fathers and the 
third President of the United States, but he was also an early 
demographer.
  Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we designate this Federal 
building as the ``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters 
Building''.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5599.
  Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time and encourage my colleagues to vote in support of this resolution.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I have no further 
requests for time, and I move the passage of this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5599.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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