[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24913]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 DO NOT BREAK CONFIDENTIALITY OF CENSUS

  (Mrs. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, there are some in this Congress 
who want to take time out and break the confidentiality of the census. 
This is really a terrible thing to do. We promised the people of this 
country when we were taking the surveys in the census that we would not 
break their confidentiality. We gave them a solid promise that we would 
not. Now there is an attempt to do it.
  I think everyone in this Congress should fight back this attempt to 
reveal confidential information. Remember, we have a trust with the 
American people and that is to tell them the truth. When we went out to 
get these surveys, we told them the truth. I, for one, would never turn 
back on what I told the people, that the things that they were 
revealing to the census operators and to the census takers would be 
held in strict confidentiality.
  Wake up, Congress. Speak the truth, so that the people of this 
country will respect us more than they do now. We need this respect, 
and the only way we can do it is to speak the truth.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for every Member of this Congress to say 
``no'' to revealing confidential information, and ``yes'' to 
truthfulness and honesty in government.

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