[CTPP] Census News Brief
Ed Christopher
edc at berwyned.com
Wed Feb 11 22:26:19 CST 2009
CENSUS FUNDS SURVIVE IN STIMULUS BILL
Plus: White House Clarifies Role in 2010 Census, While Republicans
Express Growing “Alarm;”
and more.
House and Senate negotiators reportedly have reached an agreement on a
$789 billion economic stimulus package that includes $1 billion for
expanded 2010 census operations. Details about how the Census Bureau
should spend the funds are not yet available, although both House and
Senate appropriators emphasized the need to target historically
hard-to-count communities in their respective committee reports.
The U.S. Senate gave final approval yesterday (61 – 37) to its $838
billion version of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”
after adopting a substitute amendment sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins
(R-ME) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NB). The Collins-Nelson amendment
allocated $1 billion for enhanced 2010 census operations and specified
that the funds would be available until September 30, 2010, a
restriction the $819 billion House version of the bill did not include.
Before suspending consideration of the original stimulus proposal (H.R.
1) last week, Senators rejected (39 – 57) yet another amendment, offered
by Sens. Graham (R-SC) and Conrad (D-ND), which would have eliminated
funds for the census.
Controvery continues over line of authority for census: Republicans on
the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Rep. Marsha Blackburn
(R-TN), today sent a letter to the panel’s leadership, requesting a
hearing to “investigate potential politicization of the U.S. Census
Bureau.” The letter, addressed to committee Chairman Henry Waxman
(D-CA) and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) and signed by all 22
committee Republicans, follows press reports last week that the White
House planned to assume direct responsibility for the 2010 census after
some stakeholders expressed concern about Commerce Secretary-designate
Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) past positions on the decennial count. (See
February 5th Census News Brief.)
Committee Republicans said they were “alarmed to learn that senior White
House officials are contemplating a plan to change the management and
reporting structure of the Census Bureau,” referring to a report in
Congressional Quarterly last week that the Census Director would have a
“direct line to the White House.” This “change in management,” the
lawmakers wrote, “may jeopardize the important and non-partisan work
product of a sensitive administrative agency, and potentially disrupt
completion of a competent, reliable 2010 census.” The White House
sought to clarify its original statement last week by saying the Census
Director would “work closely” with, not report to, senior Administration
staff, and that the director “works for the Commerce Secretary and the
president.”
The White House today issued a second clarification of its intended role
in the next census, according to an Associated Press article. AP writer
Erica Werner quoted White House spokesman Benjamin LaBolt as saying the
Administration “has not proposed removing the census from the Department
of Commerce, and the same congressional committees that had oversight
during the previous administration will retain that authority.”
However, House Republican Leader John Boehner, joined by other party and
committee leaders in the House, sent a letter to President Obama, urging
him to “reconsider and reverse this controversial and harmful course of
action,” which Rep. Boehner called a “White House census takeover.”
“Placing the census under control of political operatives,” the letter
said, would result in “unprecedented politicization of the census and
open the door to massive waste and abuse in the expenditure of taxpayer
funds” used to allocate federal program funds. The AP reported that
House Republicans plan to hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss
their concerns and announce formation of a Census Task Force, which will
be chaired by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), a member of the census
oversight subcommittee.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has not
announced a date for Sen. Gregg’s confirmation hearing.
Senate panel plans census oversight hearing: The Senate Subcommittee on
Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services,
and International Security, chaired by Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), will
hold its first census oversight hearing of the 111th Congress on
Thursday, March 5, at 2:30 PM, in room 342 Dirksen Senate Office
Building. The hearing, titled “Lessons Learned: How the New
Administration Can Achieve an Accurate and Cost-Effective 2010 Census,”
will take an historical look at the census and examine the challenges
facing the Census Bureau heading into 2010, including ensuring accurate
funding, timely appointment of a Census Director, and problems with
management of IT systems that “threaten to undermine the accuracy of
Census 2010,” according to the panel’s press release. The subcommittee
has not yet announced witnesses. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is the new
ranking minority member on the panel.
More committee assignments for the 111th Congress: Republicans on the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have made subcommittee
assignments for the 111th Congress. The Subcommittee on Information
Policy, Census, and National Archives is responsible for oversight of
the Census Bureau and authorization of Census Bureau activities.
(Democratic members of the subcommittee are listed in the February 5th
Census News Brief.)
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
(Republican Members)
Ranking Member: Patrick McHenry, NC
Lynn Westmoreland, GA
John Mica, FL
Jason Chaffetz, UT
Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to
the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications
Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions
about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at
TerriAnn2K at aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to
other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News
Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org
CENSUS NEWS BRIEF
CENSUS FUNDS SURVIVE
IN STIMULUS BILL
Plus: White House Clarifies Role in 2010 Census, While Republicans
Express Growing “Alarm;”
and more.
House and Senate negotiators reportedly have reached an agreement on a
$789 billion economic stimulus package that includes $1 billion for
expanded 2010 census operations. Details about how the Census Bureau
should spend the funds are not yet available, although both House and
Senate appropriators emphasized the need to target historically
hard-to-count communities in their respective committee reports.
The U.S. Senate gave final approval yesterday (61 – 37) to its $838
billion version of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”
after adopting a substitute amendment sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins
(R-ME) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NB). The Collins-Nelson amendment
allocated $1 billion for enhanced 2010 census operations and specified
that the funds would be available until September 30, 2010, a
restriction the $819 billion House version of the bill did not include.
Before suspending consideration of the original stimulus proposal (H.R.
1) last week, Senators rejected (39 – 57) yet another amendment, offered
by Sens. Graham (R-SC) and Conrad (D-ND), which would have eliminated
funds for the census.
Controvery continues over line of authority for census: Republicans on
the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Rep. Marsha Blackburn
(R-TN), today sent a letter to the panel’s leadership, requesting a
hearing to “investigate potential politicization of the U.S. Census
Bureau.” The letter, addressed to committee Chairman Henry Waxman
(D-CA) and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) and signed by all 22
committee Republicans, follows press reports last week that the White
House planned to assume direct responsibility for the 2010 census after
some stakeholders expressed concern about Commerce Secretary-designate
Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) past positions on the decennial count. (See
February 5th Census News Brief.)
Committee Republicans said they were “alarmed to learn that senior White
House officials are contemplating a plan to change the management and
reporting structure of the Census Bureau,” referring to a report in
Congressional Quarterly last week that the Census Director would have a
“direct line to the White House.” This “change in management,” the
lawmakers wrote, “may jeopardize the important and non-partisan work
product of a sensitive administrative agency, and potentially disrupt
completion of a competent, reliable 2010 census.” The White House
sought to clarify its original statement last week by saying the Census
Director would “work closely” with, not report to, senior Administration
staff, and that the director “works for the Commerce Secretary and the
president.”
The White House today issued a second clarification of its intended role
in the next census, according to an Associated Press article. AP writer
Erica Werner quoted White House spokesman Benjamin LaBolt as saying the
Administration “has not proposed removing the census from the Department
of Commerce, and the same congressional committees that had oversight
during the previous administration will retain that authority.”
However, House Republican Leader John Boehner, joined by other party and
committee leaders in the House, sent a letter to President Obama, urging
him to “reconsider and reverse this controversial and harmful course of
action,” which Rep. Boehner called a “White House census takeover.”
“Placing the census under control of political operatives,” the letter
said, would result in “unprecedented politicization of the census and
open the door to massive waste and abuse in the expenditure of taxpayer
funds” used to allocate federal program funds. The AP reported that
House Republicans plan to hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss
their concerns and announce formation of a Census Task Force, which will
be chaired by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), a member of the census
oversight subcommittee.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has not
announced a date for Sen. Gregg’s confirmation hearing.
Senate panel plans census oversight hearing: The Senate Subcommittee on
Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services,
and International Security, chaired by Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), will
hold its first census oversight hearing of the 111th Congress on
Thursday, March 5, at 2:30 PM, in room 342 Dirksen Senate Office
Building. The hearing, titled “Lessons Learned: How the New
Administration Can Achieve an Accurate and Cost-Effective 2010 Census,”
will take an historical look at the census and examine the challenges
facing the Census Bureau heading into 2010, including ensuring accurate
funding, timely appointment of a Census Director, and problems with
management of IT systems that “threaten to undermine the accuracy of
Census 2010,” according to the panel’s press release. The subcommittee
has not yet announced witnesses. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is the ranking
minority member on the panel.
More committee assignments for the 111th Congress: Republicans on the
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have made subcommittee
assignments for the 111th Congress. The Subcommittee on Information
Policy, Census, and National Archives is responsible for oversight of
the Census Bureau and authorization of Census Bureau activities.
(Democratic members of the subcommittee are listed in the February 5th
Census News Brief.)
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
(Republican Members)
Ranking Member: Patrick McHenry, NC
Lynn Westmoreland, GA
John Mica, FL
Jason Chaffetz, UT
Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, a consultant to
the nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications
Consortium Media Center in Washington, DC. Please direct questions
about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at
TerriAnn2K at aol.com. Please feel free to circulate this document to
other interested individuals and organizations. Previous Census News
Briefs are posted at www.thecensusproject.org
--
Ed Christopher
708-283-3534 (V)
708-574-8131 (cell)
FHWA RC-TST-PLN
19900 Governors Dr
Olympia Fields, IL 60461
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