[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE ENSURING FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE CENSUS ACT OF 
                                  2018

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 30, 2018

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Ensuring Full 
Participation in the Census Act of 2018, which would prohibit the 
Census Bureau (``Bureau'') from including questions on the decennial 
census about citizenship, nationality, or immigration status.
  This bill is essential because the Department of Justice recently 
wrote to the Bureau requesting that it ``reinstate on the 2020 Census 
questionnaire a question regarding citizenship.'' From 1970 to 2000, 
this question was sent to only approximately 16 percent of the 
population during any decennial census through the so-called ``long-
form.'' However, the long-form system with that question was dropped 
from the census and replaced with the current American Community Survey 
(ACS). The ACS is sent to approximately 3 million people annually on a 
rotational basis, instead of just with the decennial census, and allows 
the Bureau to get the necessary information on citizenship, without 
asking every respondent during the decennial census. Asking questions 
about citizenship status to every American through the decennial census 
has not been done in almost 70 years because it would only discourage 
people, largely in minority communities, which are already 
underrepresented in the census, from participating in the census. The 
ACS was created to make the decennial census simpler for American 
citizens to complete, thus encouraging a higher and more accurate 
participant rate, and to preserve privacy. Adding questions back into 
the decennial census about citizenship would defeat this purpose of the 
ACS. The representative sampling provided by the ACS is more than 
sufficient to determine citizenship statistics within the United 
States. We must ensure that all individuals are counted in the 
decennial census, thereby providing accurate allocation of federal 
funds and representation in Congress, not reduce participation by 
already underrepresented minorities because they fear answering 
questions that are already addressed elsewhere.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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