[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12031]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



MILITARY HOME OF RECORD ACT OF 1999; LEGISLATION TO CLARIFY THE ``HOME 
 OF RECORD'' FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE 2000 CENSUS.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. PAUL RYAN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 1999

  Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to introduce 
legislation that I feel is essential to achieving an accurate count in 
Census 2000.
  Military personnel are a unique group because they often pay taxes 
and vote in a state in which they are stationed; therefore, it is 
difficult to clearly define their actual residence. Most would not be 
residing in the place they have been stationed were it not for their 
military service. Many have family in another state.
  My bill will provide clarity by ensuring that military personnel are 
allocated to their ``Home of Record.'' This will ensure that federal 
funding and redistricting are based on an accurate count of the 
population.
  Currently, the Census Bureau plans to use ``Home of Record'' data for 
counting military personnel who are stationed overseas in Census 2000. 
This bill requires the Census Bureau to work in partnership with the 
Department of Defense to count military personnel who have been 
stationed in the United States as well.
  This bill is not a radical shift in policy for the Census. In the 
1990 Census as well as in the 1970 Census the Department of Commerce 
utilized ``home of record'' data. In 1992, the Supreme Court stated 
that the Secretary of the Department of Commerce was acting within the 
law when he used ``home of record'' data from the personnel files to 
count military personnel in the 1990 Census.
  I am not seeking to uproot years of tradition here today; I am merely 
fighting to ensure that the Census is done in a fair and equitable 
manner, accounting for all U.S. citizens in their proper home. These 
men and women have claimed a state to be their ``home''-why shouldn't 
we honor that claim. There are many states that, merely based on 
location, have been chosen to house military personnel. Counting 
military personnel as residents of these states when they are voting 
and paying taxes elsewhere simply does not make sense.
  I urge all my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this legislation.

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