    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 13 (Monday, April 5, 1999)]
    [Pages 568-569]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Statement on the 2000 Census

    April 1, 1999

        Exactly one year from today, America will commence the first census
    of the 21st century. The responsibility to conduct the census is nearly
    as old as our Nation. Beginning in 1790, and every 10 years since,
    America has counted its people, charted its growth, and by doing so,
    prepared for its future.
        The census is a vital statistical snapshot that tells us who we are
    and where we are going as a nation. And though it is taken only once a
    decade, it is important to our everyday lives. The census helps
    communities determine where to build everything from schools to
    supermarkets and from homes to hospitals. It helps the Government decide
    how to distribute funds and assistance to States and localities. It is
    used to draw the lines of legislative districts and reapportion the
    seats each State holds in Congress.
        The Census Bureau estimates it will count about 275 million people
    next year across our Nation. But America must be accurate--and more so
    than we have been in the past. The previous census, in 1990, missed 8.4
    million people and counted more than 4 million twice. Children,
    minorities, and low-income Americans have been often overlooked. We must
    do better. Every person in America counts--so every American must be
    counted.
        I am committed to ensuring that Census 2000 is as accurate,
    complete, and fair as possible. That will be an enormous undertaking--
    demanding the largest peacetime mobilization in our Nation's history,
    involving hundreds of thousands of local census takers

    [[Page 569]]

    and community volunteers. I have, therefore, asked every executive
    department and agency of the Federal Government to develop an action
    plan that helps recruit census workers and promotes full participation
    in Census 2000. The Census Bureau has put forth a comprehensive and
    complete plan that includes a full enumeration and modern scientific
    methods. The Bureau will also build unprecedented partnerships with
    business, community groups, schools, and State, local, and tribal
    governments and use, for the first time, radio, television, and
    billboard advertisements to encourage everyone to participate in Census
    2000.
        Working together, we can ensure that Census 2000 truly reflects who
    we are as a people and that each American can make the best of the
    opportunities of the 21st century.