    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [June 23, 1998]
    [Page 1025]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1025]]

    Statement on the Nomination of Kenneth Prewitt To Be Director of the
    Bureau of the Census
    June 23, 1998

        A fair and accurate census is a fundamental part of representative
    democracy and good government. To ensure that we conduct a sound and
    successful census in the Year 2000, I am pleased to nominate Dr. Kenneth
    Prewitt to be the next Director of the United States Census Bureau.
        The decennial census is the foundation for our most important public
    values. It is the means by which everyone in this country is counted. It
    is the basis for providing equality under the law. And it is the single
    most important source of information about the American people.
        By using the census, the Federal Government is able to designate
    funding for and evaluate programs across the Federal Government, in
    every State and every locality. It is the instrument that Congress and
    the executive branch use to properly allocate the more than 180 billion
    dollars in Federal funds every year for many programs like Head Start,
    programs for older Americans, the disabled, and for transportation.
    Conducting an accurate census truly affects every person in this
    country, and the quality of Census 2000 will have ramifications for
    decades to come.
        To ensure fair and accurate data, we support the plan developed by
    the experts at the Census Bureau which was based upon recommendations by
    the National Academy of Sciences. This plan, developed at the explicit
    direction of Congress and endorsed by virtually all of the experts, will
    enable the Census Bureau to conduct the most accurate and cost-effective
    census in our history. It is a plan that will correct the inaccuracies
    in the former census which systematically undercounted children,
    minorities, and rural Americans. This collaboration between Government
    and the Nation's scientific community will enable Census 2000 to carry
    out its proud mission of protecting equality before the law, one person-
    one vote, and sound government.
        Dr. Prewitt, one of the Nation's most distinguished social
    scientists and experienced executives, is the ideal person to lead the
    Census Bureau in this effort. He currently serves as the president of
    the Social Science Research Council. In the past, he has been senior
    vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation, the director of the
    University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Corporation, chairman
    of the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago, and
    vice president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also
    served on the boards of trustees of Washington University, Southern
    Methodist University, the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral
    Sciences, NORC, and the German American Academic Council.
        Dr. Prewitt is a person of impeccable credentials and proven
    scientific integrity. I urge the Senate to act promptly on his
    nomination.