[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 15, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 U.S. TERRITORIES MID-DECADE CENSUS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 2019

  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing a bill that would 
require the United States Census Bureau to conduct a census every five 
years in the U.S. insular areas of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, 
American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This legislation is 
necessary because the priority, availability, timeliness, and types of 
data collected by federal agencies in the insular areas remains 
deficient compared to data collection in the states. Without accurate 
and timely information on changes in the economy, employment, income 
levels, and other key indicators, insular governments are hindered in 
the establishment of appropriate policy. And without these data, 
governments and the public are less able to assess the effectiveness of 
policies that have been established.
   Every decade, the Census Bureau conducts a census throughout the 
country to determine the number of people living in the country. In the 
insular areas, detailed demographic, housing, and socioeconomic data is 
also collected in the decennial census using a ``long-form'' 
questionnaire consisting of about 75 questions. The decennial census 
conducted in the states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico only 
asks 10 questions because the vital information gathered in the 
decennial census is now acquired annually in the American Community 
Survey.
   The American Community Survey does not include data from the insular 
areas. The Census Bureau has claimed that a lack of funding to collect 
the data and the absence of a proven methodology tested in the 
territories leaves the Bureau unable to include our districts and the 
hundreds of thousands of Americans living there. As a result, the 
insular areas have to wait every 10 years for critical, up-to date 
information on education, income, housing, jobs, and insurance that 
surveys like the American Community Survey provide. This data is vital 
to sustain economic development and for prudent government and business 
decisions. The decennial census is inadequate to this need. The 
allocation of federal funding for numerous programs is also largely 
based on the most recent census data available. With no alternative, 
most current funding allocations to the insular areas are based on data 
from the previous decennial census. 2010 Census data will continue to 
be used for many federal program funding allocations until 2023--the 
earliest key 2020 Census demographic data for the insular areas will 
likely be available.
   As an alternative to annual surveys, my bill would require the 
Census Bureau to conduct a mid-decade census in the insular areas. The 
bill starts the first mid-decade census in 2025 and in addition to the 
decennial census, a census will be conducted every five years. This 
will provide more current data in the insular areas, similar to that 
provided by five-year estimates produced by the American Community 
Survey. Having a mid-decade census will also enable insular governments 
and the Census Bureau to plan and conduct data collection efforts that 
are often logistically challenging in these diverse, remote regions. My 
bill also authorizes appropriations for the mid-decade census, based on 
costs estimates provided by the Census Bureau to conduct the 2020 
decennial census in U.S. insular areas. I ask my colleagues for their 
support.

                          ____________________