[House Report 110-674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     110-674

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          THOMAS JEFFERSON CENSUS BUREAU HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

                                _______
                                

June 3, 2008.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Oberstar, from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 5599]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 5599) to designate the Federal 
building located at 4600 Silver Hill Road in Suitland, 
Maryland, as the ``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters 
Building'', having considered the same, report favorably 
thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                       PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION

    H.R. 5599 designates the Federal building located at 4600 
Silver Hill Road in Suitland, Maryland, as the ``Thomas 
Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters Building''.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The United States census takes place every ten years and is 
an important tool used by the Federal Government to allocate 
resources across the United States. Article 1, section 2 of the 
U.S. Constitution requires the enumeration of citizens. It also 
requires that, after the initial census, the census takes place 
every ten years thereafter.
    Today, the results of the census are used to determine the 
size of Congressional districts, the allocation of seats 
allotted to each state in the U.S. House of Representatives, as 
a factor in the allocation of federal resources, and as a 
research tool to track economic and population trends in the 
United States. In 1790, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson 
supervised the very first U.S. census. He was responsible for 
overseeing the collection of data and certifying the local 
census results that were collected by judicial-district 
marshals on horseback. Although Thomas Jefferson is perhaps 
best remembered as the third president of the United States and 
as the author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson is 
also considered by some to be the first director of the U.S. 
Census. Although the practice of performing a census has been 
in practice for thousands of years, the U.S. census is 
considered to be the first modern periodic census. Several 
European countries adopted similar census requirements in the 
early 19th century.
    The U.S. Census Bureau continued to operate as a temporary 
agency until 1902. In 1902, after the 1900 census, the U.S. 
Census Bureau was made a permanent agency. Today the U.S. 
Census Bureau employs thousands of federal workers and is 
currently preparing for the next census in 2010. In the 2000 
census, the Government Accountability Office estimated that the 
U.S. Census Bureau would need 860,000 workers at its peak field 
operations to meet its goal of completing a census of the 
United States population. As the census has grown more complex 
in its almost 220-year history, the need for a permanent 
headquarters has consistently been a challenge. At various 
times, the U.S. Census Bureau has been headquartered in New 
York, New York, Washington, DC, and Suitland, Maryland.
    Since 1941, the U.S. Census has been headquartered in 
Suitland, Maryland. In 2007, the General Services 
Administration completed construction of a state-of-the-art 
U.S. Census Bureau headquarters building. Given the role played 
by Thomas Jefferson in overseeing the first U.S. census and his 
contribution to the history of the United States, it is fitting 
and proper to designate the Federal building located at 4600 
Silver Hill Road in Suitland, Maryland, as the ``Thomas 
Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters Building''.

                       SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Findings

    Section 1 contains Congressional findings on the United 
States Census and the role of Thomas Jefferson in the United 
States Census.

Section 2. Designation

    Section 2 designates the Federal building located at 4600 
Silver Hill Road in Suitland, Maryland, as the ``Thomas 
Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters Building''.

Section 3. References

    Section 3 indicates that any reference in a law, map, 
regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United 
States to the Federal building referred to in section 2 shall 
be deemed to be a reference to the ``Thomas Jefferson Census 
Bureau Headquarters Building''.

            LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On March 12, 2008, Representative Carolyn Maloney 
introduced H.R. 5599.
    On May 15, 2008, the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure met in open session and ordered H.R. 5599 
reported favorably to the House by voice vote with a quorum 
present.

                              RECORD VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires each committee report to include the 
total number of votes cast for and against on each record vote 
on a motion to report and on any amendment offered to the 
measure or matter, and the names of those members voting for 
and against. There were no recorded votes taken in connection 
with ordering H.R. 5599 reported. A motion to order H.R. 5599 
reported favorably to the House was agreed to by voice vote 
with a quorum present.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in this report.

                          COST OF LEGISLATION

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to the filing of the 
report and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is 
included in this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(2) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, and 
clause 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee references the report of the Congressional Budget 
Office included in the report.
    2. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
performance goals and objective of this legislation are to 
designate the Federal building located at 4600 Silver Hill Road 
in Suitland, Maryland, as the ``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau 
Headquarters Building''.
    3. With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the 
Committee has received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5599 
from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, May 16, 2008.
Hon. James L. Oberstar,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
reviewed H.R. 5599, a bill to designate the federal building 
located at 4600 Silver Hill Road in Suitland, Maryland, as the 
``Thomas Jefferson Census Bureau Headquarters Building,'' as 
ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure on May 15, 2008.
    CBO estimates that enactment of this legislation would have 
no significant impact on the federal budget and would not 
affect direct spending or revenues. The bill contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on 
state, local, or tribal governments. If you wish further 
details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. 
The CBO staff contact is Matthew Pickford.
             Sincerely,
                                         Robert A. Sunshine
                                   (For Peter R. Orszag, Director).

                     COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XXI

    Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House 
of Representatives, H.R. 5599 does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI 
of the Rules of the House of Representatives.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, committee reports on a bill or joint 
resolution of a public character shall include a statement 
citing the specific powers granted to the Congress in the 
Constitution to enact the measure. The Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure finds that Congress has the 
authority to enact this measure pursuant to its powers granted 
under article I, section 8 of the Constitution.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act (Public Law 104-4).

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    Section 423 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
requires the report of any Committee on a bill or joint 
resolution to include a statement on the extent to which the 
bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt state, local, 
or tribal law. The Committee states that H.R. 5599 does not 
preempt any state, local, or tribal law.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act are created by this 
legislation.

                APPLICABILITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 
104-1).

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    H.R. 5599 makes no changes in existing law.

                                  
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