For the St. Louis American
Just one year from now, America will embark on our nation’s largest peacetime project … Census 2010. Since I became chairman of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, in the 110th Congress, we’ve conducted numerous hearings, meetings and briefings to help prepare for the most successful Census ever conducted.
Two of the most critical items we resolved were the much publicized problems with the handheld computers, which could have derailed Census operations in 2010, and our successful efforts to obtain additional funding for planning and implementation.
I’m especially proud that President Obama and our Congressional leadership took my concerns to heart, and included an additional $1 billion in funding for the Census, as part of the stimulus plan. Because of this funding, the Census Bureau can plan and conduct crucial operations between now and Census Day without the threat of interruptions due the budget process, an annual problem that has plagued the Bureau recently.
The funds will be used to hire staff and conduct outreach to hard-to-count communities. The Bureau expects to hire 1.4 million people for the 2010 census, 140,000 of whom will begin work this month conducting Address Canvassing, a comprehensive house-to-house canvass to verify all residential mailing addresses throughout the country
Over the last two years, my subcommittee has held 11 oversight hearings on Census preparations. And since January, I have convened two additional hearings, with many more to come between now and Census Day, April 1, 2010.
As chairman, my constant focus is attacking the undercount. In 2000, the Census missed 3 million people. Many of them were African-American or Hispanic, most were poor, and all of them deserved to be counted.
The Census Bureau will aggressively target these hard to count populations to reduce the chronic undercount of minorities, and through its Partnership Program, work with state, local and tribal governments; religious, community and social service organizations; and private businesses to secure a more complete count. Thus far, the Bureau has secured partnerships with more than 10,000 organizations for 2010.
While it is important to have strong leadership in Washington, the truth is that all of our efforts would fail without the strong participation of our local and regional partners.
Just a few days ago, I had the pleasure of inducting over 200 incredibly diverse organizations into the Census 2010 partnership program.
They were a broad group of advocacy and civil rights organizations, including the Asian American Justice Center; the National Association of Latino elected officials; the NAACP, as well as many other faith-based institutions, businesses and local governments.
Or course, we’re still counting on you to tell us what’s happening in your community and how we can help you.
Every person in this country needs to understand that the Census is confidential and they need not fear their government.
The information they provide to the Census Bureau is protected by law, and violators are subject to stiff fines and federal imprisonment.
My subcommittee will continue to monitor the Census’ recruitment, hiring and training processes to ensure that those communities that are hardest to count are well-represented.
We will hold regular oversight hearings to examine every aspect of the 2010 census to make sure the bureau stays on track and is working with its partners to reduce the undercount.
Finally, I welcome the confirmation of former Governor Gary Locke as the new Secretary of Commerce. We look forward to working closely with him and the incoming Census director.
In the final analysis, the Census is really about three things: information, federal funding, and proper political representation. When we miss anyone, we deprive his or her community of all three of those precious resources.
U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO) is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives.