[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19170]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-429. A resolution adopted by the House of 
     Representatives of the Legislature of the State of Michigan 
     relative to memorializing Congress to adopt and present to 
     the states for ratification an amendment to the United States 
     Constitution that would provide that only citizens may be 
     counted for purposes of determining congressional 
     representation among the states; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                        House Resolution No. 97

       Whereas, one of the cornerstones of our democratic republic 
     is the decennial census, which is the basis for congressional 
     representation and the apportionment process. The data 
     gathered through the census is used to determine how the 435 
     members of the United States House of Representatives are 
     divided among the states; and
       Whereas, with growing numbers of illegal immigrants 
     concentrated in a small number of states, especially 
     California, states with few illegal immigrants suffer a 
     commensurate reduction in the number of their members of the 
     United States House of Representatives. This is true for 
     Michigan, which has experienced a steady decline in 
     congressional representation over the past few decades. 
     Projections for the next reapportionment, after the 2010 
     census, include the loss of more seats for Michigan and other 
     states with few illegal immigrants; and
       Whereas, in 2000, an estimated 5.3 million noncitizens in 
     California were counted by the Census Bureau. In one 
     Californian district, more than 260,000 noncitizens, or 43 
     percent of the district's population, were tabulated, a ratio 
     of almost four noncitizens for every voter. As a result, it 
     took fewer than 35,000 votes to win the district compared to 
     almost 100,000 votes to win a typical Congressional race in 
     Michigan. If only legal citizens were counted, California 
     would have been allocated six fewer seats in the House of 
     Representatives. In addition, New York, Texas, and Florida, 
     which along with California account for more than 50 percent 
     of all noncitizens residing in the United States, would have 
     been allocated one fewer Congressional seat apiece if only 
     citizens were calculated; and
       Whereas, while estimates of actual illegal aliens in our 
     country are higher, the 2000 federal census found 7 million 
     illegal aliens. It seems wrong for illegal aliens to have as 
     profound an impact on our political environment as they 
     presently do. While immigration is a very complex issue that 
     must be addressed, it seems clear that including illegal 
     immigrants in the calculation of congressional representation 
     is wrong; and
       Whereas, a measure has been introduced in the United States 
     House of Representatives to propose an amendment to the 
     United States Constitution that would provide that only 
     citizens may be counted for purposes of apportioning 
     congressional representation among the states. This 
     legislation, H.J.R. 53, is long overdue; now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we 
     memorialize the Congress of the United States to adopt and 
     present to the states for ratification an amendment to the 
     United States Constitution that would provide that only 
     citizens may be counted for purposes of determining 
     congressional representation among the states; and be it 
     further
       Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 
     the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, and the members of 
     the Michigan congressional delegation. Adopted by the House 
     of Representatives, September 6, 2006.

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