[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 14 (Monday, April 10, 2000)]
[Page 694]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7286--Census Day, 2000

April 1, 2000

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Every 10 years, as mandated by our Constitution, all persons living 
in the United States are called upon to participate in the census. As 
the foremost method of gathering information about our Nation, the 
census plays a crucial role in helping us to maintain our democratic 
form of government.
    An accurate census helps to ensure that the rights and needs of 
every person are recorded and recognized as we shape public policies, 
programs, and services. Too often in the past, children, minorities, and 
low-income individuals have not been counted and, as a result, have not 
been fully and fairly served. Census data are also used to determine the 
number of seats each State is allocated in the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and State and local governments depend upon these data 
to draw legislative districts that accurately represent their residents.
    The census also serves as the basis for many public funding and 
private investment decisions. Census results play a part in determining 
the portion each State receives of more than $185 billion in funds 
distributed by the Federal Government each year. State and local public 
officials use census data to decide where to build public facilities 
such as schools, roads, hospitals, and libraries. Census data also are a 
valuable resource for businesses that are trying to identify where to 
build stores, office buildings, or shopping centers.
    The census is unique. It reaches every population group, from 
America's long-time residents to its most recent immigrants, and every 
age group from newborns to centenarians. The census touches every social 
class and every racial and ethnic group. The census is truly a 
democratic process in which we all can participate.
    Census 2000 offers each of us an important opportunity to shape the 
future of our Nation. By taking part, we help ensure the well-being of 
our families and our communities, and we fulfill one of our fundamental 
civic duties. The U.S. Census Bureau has taken unprecedented steps to 
ensure full participation in this first census of the new millennium. At 
the same time, the Bureau will continue its long tradition of protecting 
the personal information of America's citizens, and no other Government 
agency will be able to see any individual or family census form. I 
strongly urge every man and woman living in the United States to fill 
out and return his or her census form or to cooperate with census takers 
who will help them do so.
     Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 1, 
2000, as Census Day. I call upon all the people of the United States to 
observe this day with ceremonies, activities, and programs that raise 
awareness of the importance of participating in Census 2000.
     In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of 
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of 
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., April 4, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
5.