CTPP February 2009

ctpp@listserv.transportation.org

14 participants
20 discussions

[CTPP] New report on American Community Survey 2007 data, for San Francisco Bay Area

by Chuck Purvis

Hello CTPPers: The detailed 2007 American Community Survey data for journey-to-work and household characteristics was released by the Census Bureau on September 23, 2008. We completed our first report on the ACS 2007 for our region, on October 2nd. The 30 page report is here: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/maps_and_data/datamart/census/ The most interesting finding is a statistically significant (95% CL) increase in transit commuting, 2006 to 2007, from 315,000 to 336,000. The increase in our regional share of transit commuters (9.5 to 10.0 percent), was not a statistically significant increase (95% CL) (though it was significant at a 90% CL). Commute times are stable, at about 27 minutes per one-way commute. Intra-county commute shares (% living and working in same county) has remained stable between 2000 and 2007, at about 72 percent intra-county commute. We also produce tables on housing affordability, poverty, race, and household vehicle availability, since those are topics of interest to us and our policy board. Chuck Purvis, MTC ************************************************************** Charles L. Purvis, AICP Principal Transportation Planner/Analyst Metropolitan Transportation Commission 101 Eighth Street Oakland, CA 94607-4700 (510) 817-5755 (office) (510) 817-7848 (fax) cpurvis(a)mtc.ca.gov (e-mail) www: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/ **************************************************************

15 years

[CTPP] Census News Brief--January 15th

by Ed Christopher

CONGRESS CONSIDERS $1 BILLION IN STIMULUS FUNDS FOR CENSUS Plus: Mesenbourg Becomes Acting Census Director The U.S. House of Representatives is considering $1 billion in additional funds for the 2010 census as part of the $750 billion economic stimulus package requested by President-elect Barack Obama. The House Committee on Appropriations is circulating a draft of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” to promote “job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization.” Title III of the draft bill allocates $1 billion for the Census Bureau’s Periodic Censuses and Programs account, which covers decennial census activities. Draft report language accompanying the bill points to the increased lifecycle cost and “significant risk” associated with the revised Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) contract, which has led to greater “workforce, advertising, and operational needs.” While the bill does not specify how the funds would be spent, the report suggests that the funding should be used “to hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks to ensure a successful decennial.” $150 million would be used for “expanded communications and outreach programs to minimize undercounting of minority groups,” according to the committee. Democratic appropriators said the proposed stimulus package includes “a historic level of transparency, oversight, and accountability,” noting that the President must create a special website to post expenditures, announcements of contract and grant competitions and awards, and formula grant allocations related to stimulus spending. Republican legislators have raised concerns about the massive spending bill. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), the senior Republican on the appropriations panel, said in a press release that Republicans “have serious concerns about its size, scope, and astronomical cost. This legislation appears to blanket government programs in spending with little thought toward real economic results, job creation, or respect for the taxpayer.” House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called the Democrats’ proposed stimulus bill “disappointing.” The proposal, he said in a written statement, “was developed with no Republican input and appears to be grounded in the flawed notion that we can simply borrow and spend our way back to prosperity. It calls for more than half a trillion dollars in questionable new government spending on programs and projects, while providing less tax relief for middle-class families and small businesses than President-elect Obama has proposed.” Rep. Boehner singled out several proposals in the Democratic bill, including $1 billion for the 2010 census, as having questionable “stimulus” effects. The House Appropriations Committee might consider the stimulus bill as early as next week. Congressional leaders have said they hope to complete work on the package before the Presidents’ Day recess. Congress must also complete work on most regular appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2009, which started October 1, 2008. Before adjourning for the election last Fall, legislators passed a Continuing Resolution that funds most government agencies, including the Census Bureau, through March 6. 111th Congress committees take shape: Congressional committees have begun organizing for the 111th Congress. In the House, the Appropriations Committee has completed its subcommittee assignments. Full Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI) and Ranking Member Jerry Lewis serve as ex-officio members on all subcommittees. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not announced new subcommittee line-ups yet. House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (Democratic members) Chair: Alan B. Mollohan, West Virginia Patrick J. Kennedy, Rhode Island Chaka Fattah, Pennsylvania Adam Schiff, California Michael Honda, California C.A "Dutch" Ruppersberger, Maryland Peter J. Visclosky, Indiana José E. Serrano, New York (Republican members) Ranking Member: Frank Wolf, Virginia John Culberson, Texas Robert Aderholt, Alabama Jo Bonner, Alabama The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the Census Bureau’s authorizing committee, has a new chairman, Rep. Edolphus (“Ed”) Towns (D-NY), and new Ranking Member, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). Chairman Towns, who has served on the committee (and its predecessors) for 26 years, held a press conference this week to outline his priorities for the 111th Congress. Referring to the 2010 census, the congressman said (according to the written statement he released), “[M]inorities and urban dwellers have traditionally been under-reported in census counts. This time it will be one of my goals to ensure that all Americans are counted!” The committee has not yet made subcommittee assignments. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Census Bureau, will continue to be led by Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). While the committee has not yet organized its subcommittees for the 111th Congress, it appears that Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE) will retain his chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, which oversees the Census Bureau. The Homeland Security committee will be responsible for confirmation hearings for the Census Bureau director. The President-elect has not announced a nominee for that position. Acting Census Director named: Thomas Mesenbourg has been named Acting Director of the U.S. Census Bureau following the resignation of Dr. Steven Murdock on January 9. Mr. Mesenbourg was named the bureau’s Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer (both career positions) in May 2008, after serving as Associate Director for Economic Programs since 2005, with responsibility for the Economic Census and the Census of Governments and over 100 monthly, quarterly, and annual surveys. His full career at the Census Bureau spans 36 years. Dr. Murdock became Census Bureau director in December 2007, succeeding President Bush’s first Census director, C. Louis Kincannon. It is traditional for political appointees to submit their resignations at the end of a President’s term of office. 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(a)aol.com <mailto:TerriAnn2K(a)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 <http://www.thecensusproject.org>

15 years, 1 month

[CTPP] ACS Commuting Data

by Ed Christopher

I received this in my email but thought answering it would be relevant to the larger CTPP group. ----------- Garth wrote: Elaine/Ed: Has there been any county-to-county commuting data yet from the American Community Survey? Unless I've missed it somewhere, I don't think there has been since not all counties are available yet. Will county-to-county commuting flow data be available in the next ACS/CTPP multi-year product? If so, are we still looking at 2011 for the release of such data? I'd appreciate any clarifications/references you could provide. Thanks, Garth ----------- The short answer is that there has not been any county-to-county commuting data yet and the Census Bureau has been mute on the question of ever producing any as part of their standard tabulation program. Using "Magic 8 ball" speak one could speculate that "it is doubtful" if they ever would. However, all is not lost! The transportation community has been very vocal that "We NEED Flows." As such the AASHTO CTPP Oversight Board is positioning itself to request a set of tables which will include flows. The request is set to get to the Census Bureau by April 1, 2009. Currently, a task force is working on the tables and ironing out a few bumps in terms of what tables to ask for and the modal collapsing schema that might pass disclosure rules. The task forces is very close to done. (The December newsletter talks about the disclosure hurdles http://www.trbcensus.com/newsltr/sr1208.pdf). Once we get the tables pinned down in the next few weeks we will certainly be circulating them to our large community. In terms of tables, the request will go to the Census Bureau by April 1st and then the Disclosure Review Board will have to rule and then cost estimates will need to firmed up and contracts written. If all goes well, the tables would use the 2006, 2007 and 2008 ACS data with possible receipt of some data by 2010/2011. We have been told that the actual production of the tables can go quite quickly once we get over all the stuff at the front end. Right now, a lot has to fall in place but the message has been heard that, FLOW DATA is MUST. Right now the only reference is the letter that was sent from the Oversight Board on February 9th stating that we are working on a 3-year ACS data table request. I have attached it. Stay tuned..... Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 2 months

[CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF 2-24-2009

by Ed Christopher

CONGRESS SET TO FINISH 2009 FUNDING BILL; CENSUS FULLY FUNDED FOR CURRENT YEAR Plus: President Reportedly Will Name New Commerce Secretary; and more. Congressional appropriators are set to consider this week an omnibus funding bill (H.R. 1105) to pay for most non-defense federal programs for the remainder of FY2009, which ends September 30, 2009. The $410 billion measure allocates the full budget request of $3.14 billion for the Census Bureau, well more than double the 2008 appropriation of $1.26 billion. The bill is expected to go directly to the House floor, without a committee vote, and then on to the Senate. The Bush Administration originally requested $2.635 billion for the Census Bureau this year, but amended its request last spring after problems with the large contract for GPS-equipped handheld computers forced the bureau to revise the way it will collect information from households that do not mail back a census form next year. The 2010 census “replan” issued in 2008 could increase the lifecycle cost of the decennial count by up to $3 billion. The FY2009 appropriations measure includes $2.906 billion for Periodic Censuses and Programs, the overall account that covers the decennial census and American Community Survey. The bill carries forward previous legislative language prohibiting the Census Bureau from eliminating the “Some Other Race” option on the census race question and from instituting a sweepstakes to encourage census participation. The bill also encourages spending on “promotion, outreach, and marketing activities.” “Periodics” funding also covers the quinquennial (every five years) economic and government censuses. The joint explanatory statement accompanying the bill notes that Congress is providing full funding for the decennial census “to return the 2010 Census to a more reliable, paper-based operation, with the expectation that the new Administration will focus the requisite oversight to ensure a successful Decennial.” The report says that a “lack of critical oversight” and “lack of attention” in the previous Administration “significantly increased the risk of failure” for the census. The committee report highlights the importance of paid media in promoting the census, especially in minority communities and communities with limited English proficiency. Appropriators directed the Census Bureau to reevaluate its communications program in light of the revised plan for nonresponse follow-up and to submit a comprehensive communications plan for 2010 to Congress. They also expressed support for “robust partnership and outreach efforts … with specific focus on hard-to-reach populations.” Other issues highlighted in the committee’s statement are language assistance programs for both the decennial census and American Community Survey (ACS); the importance of reliable census and ACS data for numerically small populations, such as Asian, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander subgroups; and Census in the Schools program, for which the committee directed the Census Bureau to spend at least $10 million on competitive grants and adult education materials in support of the 2010 census. The Census Bureau has already launched final preparations for the 2010 census. Key operations in FY2009 include: •opening and staffing 150 “early” local census offices; •canvassing all neighborhoods and rural areas to verify addresses (on the Master Address File) and geographic locations (in the TIGER system); •finalizing data capture, data processing, and telecommunications systems; •printing hundreds of millions of census questionnaires and other forms; •developing a national advertising campaign; •hiring additional national and regional staff to oversee field operations; and •implementing a nationwide Partnership Program to engage government officials, civic leaders, community organizations, businesses, and other “gatekeepers” in support of the census. Economic and demographic statistics: The 2009 spending bill includes $233.6 million for Salaries and Expenses, the account covering ongoing collection of demographic and economic statistics. House committee report language allocates $45.7 million of that amount -- $486,000 more than the previous Administration requested -- for the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), to maintain a sample size of 45,000 households and improve the survey over the next several years. The appropriations bill provides $90.6 million for the Commerce Department’s Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), which houses the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) in addition to the Census Bureau. The allocation is $500,000 more than the budget request. BEA produces key economic statistics, including Gross Domestic Product, that support U.S. monetary and fiscal policies, trade negotiations, business planning, and personal savings and investment decisions. Congressional appropriations process: In the coming days and months, the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations will approve final funding levels for FY2009, and hold hearings and “mark-ups” to consider the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget request for federal departments and agencies. The President will send his FY2010 budget to Congress on Thursday. The Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies have jurisdiction over the Census Bureau and BEA. House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Democrats Republicans H-309 The Capitol 1016 Longworth H.O.B. Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Alan Mollohan (WV) Frank Wolf (VA) (Chairman) (Ranking Minority Member) Patrick Kennedy (RI) John Abney Culberson (TX) Chaka Fattah (PA) Robert B. Aderholt (AL) Adam Schiff (CA) Jo Bonner (AL) Mike Honda (CA) Jerry Lewis (CA) (ex officio) C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (MD) Peter J. Visclosky, (IN) José E. Serrano, New York David Obey (WI)(ex offico) Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Democrats Republicans SD-144 Dirksen S.O.B. SH-123 Hart S.O.B. Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 Barbara Mikulski (MD) Richard Shelby (AL) (Chairman) (Ranking Minority Member) Patrick Leahy (VT) Judd Gregg (NH) Herb Kohl (WI) Mitch McConnell (KY) Tom Harkin (IA) Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) Byron Dorgan (ND) Sam Brownback (KS) Dianne Feinstein (CA) Lamar Alexander (TN) Jack Reed (RI) Thad Cochran (MS) (ex officio) Frank Lautenberg (NJ) Daniel Inouye (HI)(ex officio) New Commerce Secretary reportedly chosen: President Obama is prepared to nominate former Washington State Governor Gary Locke (D) to be Secretary of Commerce, a position that will give the nation’s first Chinese American governor a significant role in overseeing the 2010 census, according to Administration sources quoted in several major newspapers. Governor Locke, now a Seattle-based lawyer, is the President’s third nominee for the top Commerce post after two previous nominees, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, withdrew from consideration. Mr. Locke served two terms as governor of Washington; he also served as a deputy prosecutor in King County (which includes the City of Seattle), member of the Washington House of Representatives, and King County chief executive. Washington State was involved in a census lawsuit following the 1990 count. With encouragement from Congress, the Census Bureau included members of the armed forces and federal civilian personnel stationed abroad in the state population totals used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The overseas population shifted a congressional seat from Massachusetts to Washington. Massachusetts unsuccessfully challenged the Census Bureau’s decision to include overseas military and federal personnel in a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court (Franklin v. Massachusetts, 505 U.S. 788, 1992). The Court found that the Commerce Secretary’s decision to include members of the military stationed overseas in the apportionment totals could not be reviewed as a “final agency action” under the Administrative Procedure Act. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, writing for a unanimous court, also wrote that including overseas government personnel was a reasonable interpretation of the intent of the Constitution’s census clause (Article I, section 2) to count people at their “usual place of residence.” Washington State intervened as a party in support of the Commerce Department’s position. The Administration also announced the nomination of April Boyd to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation. Ms. Boyd is the chief of staff to Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) and previously held positions with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and in the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. General Services Administration. ----------- Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal, an independent legislative and policy consultant working with a wide range of census stakeholders to promote an accurate 2010 census. All views expressed in the News Briefs are solely those of the author. Please direct questions about the information in this News Brief to Ms. Lowenthal at TerriAnn2K(a)aol.com. -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 2 months

[CTPP] RE: ctpp-news Digest, Vol 60, Issue 13

by Banks

Can't we get a handle on and put an end to this kind of garbage email!? Stephen M. Banks, Senior Planner Advanced Plans Division Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department 455 N Main - 10th Floor - City Hall Wichita, KS 67202-1688 Phone: 316-352-4853 Fax: 316-268-4390 E-mail: sbanks(a)wichita.gov Website: http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Planning/ -----Original Message----- From: ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net [mailto:ctpp-news-bounces(a)chrispy.net] On Behalf Of ctpp-news-request(a)chrispy.net Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 12:00 PM To: ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net Subject: ctpp-news Digest, Vol 60, Issue 13 Send ctpp-news mailing list submissions to ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to ctpp-news-request(a)chrispy.net You can reach the person managing the list at ctpp-news-owner(a)chrispy.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of ctpp-news digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: CENSUS NEWS BRIEF (Richard Lin) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:03:48 -0700 From: "Richard Lin" <richard.lin(a)state.co.us> Subject: Re: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF To: <edc(a)berwyned.com>, "ctpp-news maillist" <ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net> Message-ID: <s9a29ed4.011(a)dem.state.co.us> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Dear edc and All, i am retiring in three weeks. Please remove my name from your email list. Thank you.l ________________________________ Richard Lin, Ph.D. Senior Estimates Demographer Colorado Department of Local Affairs State Demography Office 1313 Sherman Street, Room 521 Denver, CO 80203 Phone: (303)866-4989 Fax:: (303)866-2660 richard.lin(a)state.co.us www.DOLA.Colorado.Gov >>> edc(a)berwyned.com 2/3/2009 8:16 AM >>> PRESIDENT SELECTS SEN. GREGG FOR COMMERCE SECRETARY; SENATE CONSIDERS $1B FOR CENSUS IN STIMULUS BILL Plus: House Passes Stimulus Funds for Census President Obama has selected Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, to be his Commerce Secretary. The post would give Sen. Gregg authority over the Census Bureau and upcoming decennial census. The Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Department's Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), which also houses the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Sen. Gregg, a three-term senator, former representative, and former New Hampshire governor, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is a member and former chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (formerly Commerce, Justice, and State), which funds the Census Bureau. The biography posted on his official web site highlights his interest in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), another large Commerce Department agency. Sen. Gregg chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State during the 2000 census. In 1999, he questioned the Administration's request for additional census funding for fiscal year 2000; the Census Bureau had asked for an extra $1.7 billion after a Supreme Court decision forced it to redesign non-response follow-up operations. The House of Representatives had approved the full $4.5 billion for the census year, while the Senate allocated the $2.8 billion the Administration had sought before the Court ruling in a case challenging the use of sampling to compile census population counts used for congressional apportionment. Sen. Gregg especially questioned the House's proposal to designate all census funding for 2000 as "emergency" spending, which would remove the allocation from under tight budget caps. The impasse over census funding helped delay passage of final spending bills for 2000; Congress eventually approved the full funding request, designating the entire amount as an "emergency." The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold confirmation hearings for Sen. Gregg, while the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be responsible for confirming a Census director. President Obama has not yet nominated an Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, who oversees the ESA, or Census Bureau director; both positions require Senate confirmation. Economic stimulus bill includes extra funds for 2010 census: On January 28, by a vote of 244 * 188, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an $819 economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) that includes $1 billion in additional funds for the 2010 census. No Republican lawmakers supported the bill. The stimulus package requested by President Obama is also working its way through the U.S. Senate. Last week, the Committee on Appropriations approved its own version of the economic recovery package (S. 336), which includes $1 billion for the 2010 census. The funds would be available until September 30, 2010. The Census Bureau is required by law to report state population totals to the President by December 31, 2010, and detailed populations counts to the states for redistricting purposes by April 1, 2011. Committee report language (S. Rept. 111-3) directs the Census Bureau to use $780 million to hire more census takers "to count underserved communities"; $120 million to expand the Partnership Program, "with specific focus being placed on hard to reach populations"; and $100 million to increase outreach and promotion "to minority communities." Appropriators suggested that the Census Bureau hire additional staff who are experienced with partnership programs and are trusted community leaders who can convey the importance of participating in the census to "hard to reach" populations. The full Senate is considering the package this week. Amendments to strip or reduce some of the funding from the bill, including the proposed $1 billion for the 2010 census, are possible. The House version of the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" does not lay out as many specific dollar amounts for spending the additional money, instead saying more broadly that the Census Bureau should "hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks to ensure a successful decennial." The Census Bureau should use $150 million for "expanded communications and outreach programs to minimize undercounting of minority groups," according to the House Appropriations committee. An analysis of the economic stimulus package by Robert Santos of the Urban Institute, a Washington, DC think-tank, concludes that the proposed spending for the 2010 census "would provide an infusion of new jobs, better community participation and a more accurate census." Dr. Santos calls the census "a shovel-ready infrastructure project," a reference to one of President Obama's criteria for including projects in a stimulus package. The analysis is available on-line at http://www.urban.org/issues/recovery.cfm#santos. Senator urges quick appointment of Census Director: Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security (Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), sent a letter to President Obama on January 28, urging him to "move quickly to fill the top leadership at the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau with individuals with the knowledge and the management skills necessary to get the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Census back on track for good." The chairman said that "serious challenges in managing key information technology activities" and reduced spending on advertising and outreach have led the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to designate the 2010 census as a "high risk" federal program. Sen. Carper called on the President to make the "overall success [of the census] a top priority of your Administration." The Federal Financial Management panel has tentatively scheduled an oversight hearing for February 25 to review the status of planning for the 2010 census. 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(a)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 Resource Center Planning Team Federal Highway Administration 19900 Governors Drive Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) 708-283-3501 (F) _______________________________________________ ctpp-news mailing list ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news

15 years, 2 months

Re: [CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF

by Richard Lin

Dear edc and All, i am retiring in three weeks. Please remove my name from your email list. Thank you.l ________________________________ Richard Lin, Ph.D. Senior Estimates Demographer Colorado Department of Local Affairs State Demography Office 1313 Sherman Street, Room 521 Denver, CO 80203 Phone: (303)866-4989 Fax:: (303)866-2660 richard.lin(a)state.co.us www.DOLA.Colorado.Gov >>> edc(a)berwyned.com 2/3/2009 8:16 AM >>> PRESIDENT SELECTS SEN. GREGG FOR COMMERCE SECRETARY; SENATE CONSIDERS $1B FOR CENSUS IN STIMULUS BILL Plus: House Passes Stimulus Funds for Census President Obama has selected Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, to be his Commerce Secretary. The post would give Sen. Gregg authority over the Census Bureau and upcoming decennial census. The Census Bureau is part of the Commerce Departments Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), which also houses the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Sen. Gregg, a three-term senator, former representative, and former New Hampshire governor, is the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is a member and former chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (formerly Commerce, Justice, and State), which funds the Census Bureau. The biography posted on his official web site highlights his interest in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), another large Commerce Department agency. Sen. Gregg chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State during the 2000 census. In 1999, he questioned the Administrations request for additional census funding for fiscal year 2000; the Census Bureau had asked for an extra $1.7 billion after a Supreme Court decision forced it to redesign non-response follow-up operations. The House of Representatives had approved the full $4.5 billion for the census year, while the Senate allocated the $2.8 billion the Administration had sought before the Court ruling in a case challenging the use of sampling to compile census population counts used for congressional apportionment. Sen. Gregg especially questioned the Houses proposal to designate all census funding for 2000 as emergency spending, which would remove the allocation from under tight budget caps. The impasse over census funding helped delay passage of final spending bills for 2000; Congress eventually approved the full funding request, designating the entire amount as an emergency. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold confirmation hearings for Sen. Gregg, while the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be responsible for confirming a Census director. President Obama has not yet nominated an Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, who oversees the ESA, or Census Bureau director; both positions require Senate confirmation. Economic stimulus bill includes extra funds for 2010 census: On January 28, by a vote of 244 * 188, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an $819 economic stimulus bill (H.R. 1) that includes $1 billion in additional funds for the 2010 census. No Republican lawmakers supported the bill. The stimulus package requested by President Obama is also working its way through the U.S. Senate. Last week, the Committee on Appropriations approved its own version of the economic recovery package (S. 336), which includes $1 billion for the 2010 census. The funds would be available until September 30, 2010. The Census Bureau is required by law to report state population totals to the President by December 31, 2010, and detailed populations counts to the states for redistricting purposes by April 1, 2011. Committee report language (S. Rept. 111-3) directs the Census Bureau to use $780 million to hire more census takers to count underserved communities; $120 million to expand the Partnership Program, with specific focus being placed on hard to reach populations; and $100 million to increase outreach and promotion to minority communities. Appropriators suggested that the Census Bureau hire additional staff who are experienced with partnership programs and are trusted community leaders who can convey the importance of participating in the census to hard to reach populations. The full Senate is considering the package this week. Amendments to strip or reduce some of the funding from the bill, including the proposed $1 billion for the 2010 census, are possible. The House version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 does not lay out as many specific dollar amounts for spending the additional money, instead saying more broadly that the Census Bureau should hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks to ensure a successful decennial. The Census Bureau should use $150 million for expanded communications and outreach programs to minimize undercounting of minority groups, according to the House Appropriations committee. An analysis of the economic stimulus package by Robert Santos of the Urban Institute, a Washington, DC think-tank, concludes that the proposed spending for the 2010 census would provide an infusion of new jobs, better community participation and a more accurate census. Dr. Santos calls the census a shovel-ready infrastructure project, a reference to one of President Obamas criteria for including projects in a stimulus package. The analysis is available on-line at http://www.urban.org/issues/recovery.cfm#santos. Senator urges quick appointment of Census Director: Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security (Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs), sent a letter to President Obama on January 28, urging him to move quickly to fill the top leadership at the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau with individuals with the knowledge and the management skills necessary to get the ongoing preparations for the 2010 Census back on track for good. The chairman said that serious challenges in managing key information technology activities and reduced spending on advertising and outreach have led the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to designate the 2010 census as a high risk federal program. Sen. Carper called on the President to make the overall success [of the census] a top priority of your Administration. The Federal Financial Management panel has tentatively scheduled an oversight hearing for February 25 to review the status of planning for the 2010 census. 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(a)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 Resource Center Planning Team Federal Highway Administration 19900 Governors Drive Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) 708-283-3501 (F) _______________________________________________ ctpp-news mailing list ctpp-news(a)chrispy.net http://www.chrispy.net/mailman/listinfo/ctpp-news

15 years, 2 months

[CTPP] CENSUS NEWS BRIEF (Feb 23, 2009)

by Ed Christopher

STIMULUS PACKAGE BOOSTS 2010 CENSUS FUNDS BY $1 BILLION; FOCUS TURNS TO FY09 & FY10 BUDGETS Plus: Commerce Secretary Nominee and Leading Contender for Census Director Withdraw; and more. The “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (Public Law 111-5) that President Obama signed into law on February 17 includes $1 billion to “ensure a successful 2010 Decennial” census, according to the explanation accompanying the compromise package. The final measure omitted language in the Senate-passed version of the bill that would have required the Census Bureau to spend the funds by the end of fiscal year 2010, several months before the census is finished. Report language explaining the $789 billion conference bill (House Report 111-16) says that the $1 billion should be used to “hire additional personnel, provide required training, increase targeted media purchases, and improve management of other operational and programmatic risks.” Appropriators directed the Census Bureau to spend “up to” $250 million for the Partnership Program and outreach to “minority communities and hard-to-reach populations.” Several members of Congress specifically praised the inclusion of money for the census in the stimulus package. In an article posted on Politico.com (Feb. 12, 2009), Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), praised the Obama Administration for its support of an additional $1 billion for the census, which the lawmakers said would “instantly go toward job creation across the country in the next two years and will be crucial to ensuring an accurate count.” The Census Bureau has said that it will use the stimulus funds to recruit as many as 2,000 additional Partnership Specialists this year ($120 million) and expand advertising, especially in areas with historically low mail response rates ($100 million). It is less clear how the Census Bureau will apply the remaining stimulus money to improve census operations in 2010. Congress turns attention to funding for current and next fiscal years: Congress must now complete action on regular appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009), which began on October 1, 2008. Most federal agencies, including the Census Bureau, are operating under a Continuing Resolution (Public Law 110-329) that expires on March 6. The temporary funding measure, which left many agencies operating at 2008 spending levels, included an exception for the 2010 census, allocating the full $2.9 billion the Administration had requested to carry out final preparations for the decennial count (under the Periodic Censuses and Programs account). Congress must reaffirm that amount, or approve another funding level, in the final appropriation for FY2009. Congress also will begin considering appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010, which begins on October 1, 2009, when President Obama releases his budget request for the federal government this Thursday. Historically, the Census Bureau has requested roughly one-half of the census lifecycle cost in the year it conducts the count. Last spring, the Commerce Department estimated that the 2010 census would cost $13.7 - $14.5 billion for the full cycle of testing, planning, and implementation. Top positions at Commerce and Census Bureau remain unfilled: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), the President’s second nominee for Secretary of the Department of Commerce, which includes the Census Bureau, withdrew from consideration for the post earlier this month. In a statement he released on February 12, Sen. Gregg said that he had “found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns.” While a number of news editorials suggested that controversy over the role the White House would play in overseeing the 2010 census was a significant factor in the nominee’s decision to pull out, Sen. Gregg said at a news conference the same day that the census dispute was “a slight issue” for him and “was not a major issue.” In discussing his withdrawal from consideration as Commerce Secretary, Sen. Gregg told an interviewer on CNBC (Feb. 13, 2009) that the Administration was prepared to select Dr. Kenneth Prewitt, Census Director during the 2000 count, as the new head of the Census Bureau. Sen. Gregg, who chaired the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funded the Census Bureau during the last count, said of Dr. Prewitt, “I think he did an excellent job.” However, late last week, several on-line news sources, including a New York Times podcast, reported that Dr. Prewitt, currently a professor at Columbia University, has withdrawn his name from consideration for the top Census post. Lawmakers highlight concerns about census: Two House members responsible for oversight of the Census Bureau urged the prompt appointment of a Census Director, saying in a joint February 12 statement, “We need to have a Census Bureau director nominated and confirmed as soon as possible.” Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), who chairs the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, expressed deep concern about the status of planning for the 2010 census. ““The Obama Administration inherited a Census Bureau that has failed to demonstrate its ability to successfully carry out the 2010 Census. We are deeply concerned that the Census Bureau will not be able to complete its constitutionally mandated responsibility to count U.S. residents without immediate and sustained attention from the Administration,” the representatives warned. They said they are “committed to strict bipartisan oversight” of the census “so that the fairest assessment of the American population is reported.” On February 12, House Republican leaders held a press conference to announce the formation of a Census Task Force to “examine all issues of the 2010 census.” Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said in a news release, “The American people expect the Census to be fair, impartial, and free of politics. … If this process is controlled by political operatives at the White House, instead of experts and statisticians at the Census Bureau, Americans are right to lose confidence in it.” A day earlier, Boehner and other Republican members had sent a letter to President Obama, expressing concern about what they viewed as politicization of the census (see February 11 Census News Brief). Also at the press conference, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the senior Republican on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said the Administration’s “[c]ommanding the Census Director to report directly to the White House is a naked political power grab and transparently partisan. There is only one possible reason for it – political interference in the 2010 census and partisan manipulation of the results.” The congressman said Republicans would consider a lawsuit against the Administration over the line of authority between the White House, the Commerce Department, and the Census Bureau. Rep. Issa noted “the need for an independent Census Bureau” and that “every living former Census Director is on record supporting an independent Census Bureau,” referring to a letter the directors wrote last year in support of a bill Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) sponsored to establish the U.S. Census Bureau as an independent federal agency. No Republicans co-sponsored the “Restoring the Integrity of American Statistics Act of 2008” (H.R. 7069, 110th Congress), which Rep. Maloney said she will reintroduce shortly. Rep. Maloney, a member of the census oversight subcommittee, called the Republican press event “a show about nothing.” She noted that the White House had issued a statement clarifying its intended role in overseeing the census and quoted spokesman Benjamin LaBolt as saying that 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.” Rep. Maloney called “the Bush Administration’s woefully inadequate planning and preparation for the next census” the “only true political machinations” surrounding the census. Seven legislators, representing three House committees with jurisdiction over the census, reapportionment, and redistricting, will serve on the Republican Census Task Force: Reps. Lynn Westmoreland (GA), who will chair the Task Force, Darrell Issa (CA), and Patrick McHenry (NC), from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee; Reps. Lamar Smith (TX) and James Sensenbrenner (WI), from the House Judiciary Committee; and Reps. Dan Lungren (CA) and Gregg Harper (MS), from the House Administration Committee. The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), a member of the 2010 Census Advisory Committee, said in a statement, “We applaud the Obama Administration for making a full and fair 2010 Census a priority, and we welcome the Republican Task Force to the bipartisan conversation on this vital issue.” ---------- 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(a)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 Resource Center Planning Team Federal Highway Administration 19900 Governors Drive Olympia Fields, Illinois 60461 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) 708-283-3501 (F)

15 years, 2 months

[CTPP] Don't Politicize the Census Bureau

by Ed Christopher

FYI--This was passed along to me this morning and it is certainly an important topic. Besides, its not everyday you can get up and find so much news about the Census Bureau "above the fold" in your newspaper. _____ From: wendell cox [mailto:demographia(a)gmail.com] Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 7:13 PM To: #DemoGoogle Subject: Don't Politicize the Census Bureau http://www.newgeography.com/content/00587-dont-politicize-census-bureau DON'T POLITICIZE THE CENSUS BUREAU by Wendell Cox 02/13/2009 The recent decision by the Obama Administration to place the Census under the control of the White House represents a danger - not only to the integrity of the process but to the underlying assumptions that drive policy in a representative democracy. It is something that smacks of the worst anti-scientific views of the far right, or the casual political manipulation of the facts one expects in places like Russia or Iran. Let me be clear: I love the Bureau of the Census. I have been an avid consumer of its data since the second grade. I used to wait with anticipation for the decennial results - the 10 year population counts for states, counties and cities. Anyone who has spent any time on the Demographia websites knows the respect with which I treat Census data. The United States established one of the first regular censuses and it has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The United Kingdom followed in 1801 and France in 1807, though both nations suspended their counts during World War II. Over the past couple of decades, the Bureau of the Census has made annual estimates widely available, so it was no longer necessary to wait for the 10 year results. This was an important step in the right direction for people interested in demographics. But, there was a more basic purpose than amusing people who make their living with numbers. As federal programs that allocate money to local jurisdictions based upon their population have become more widespread, interim annual census estimates became a necessity. Before the interim estimates, all sorts of "cheerleading" estimates were published, like the more than 1,000,000 population estimate I discovered for Washington, DC in the 1950s (the city never exceeded 800,000 by much). The great thing about the Bureau of the Census was that you could trust the numbers. Trust and accuracy were precisely what the framers had in mind when they wrote the regular decennial Census enumeration (count) into the US Constitution. The principal purpose, of course, was to apportion seats in the House of Representatives. A genuine democracy depends on ensuring all are represented equally and thus depends upon the integrity of its census. Recently, however, the process has become ever more politicized. The Bureau of the Census has allowed counties, cities and other local jurisdictions to challenge their annual census estimates. The incentive, of course, is that if the challenge results in a higher population estimate (and it can be expected that no jurisdiction challenges an estimate it feels is too high), more federal money is the reward. I became aware of the problem in watching the recently developing annual challenge ritual by the nearby city of St. Louis, which has lost more of its population than any city since the Romans sacked Carthage. No large local jurisdiction in the world, not even New Orleans, has lost as much of its population as St. Louis, which has experienced a 60 percent decline since 1950. So not surprisingly, the city of St. Louis has become a frequent challenger. St. Louis has successfully challenged the Bureau of the Census estimate of its population five of the seven years from 2001 to 2007 (the most recent estimate). The total of additions from census challenges adds up to 43,000 people. This is a not insubstantial 12.4 percent relative to the approximately 348,000 2000 Census count for the city. I began to wonder what the success rate was in census challenges. I asked the appropriate Bureau of the Census officials for a list of rejected challenges. The quick and polite response was "We do not have a list of the rejected challenges." This seemed a strange answer, since the Bureau of the Census website <http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/challenges.html> lists all of the successful challenges. Moreover, my internet search for news stories about rejections of census challenge rejections yielded nothing. I performed an analysis of the successful challenges posted on the internet. Approximately 200 general purpose local jurisdictions have filed challenges. Nearly 40,000 have not. Many of the upheld challenges are in large urban cores, such as 236,000 in the city of New York and more than 100,000 in Atlanta's core Fulton County. Among the larger jurisdictions, Fulton County added the largest to its 2000 population by challenges, at 13.5 percent. However, the challenges are by no means limited to urban cores. Salt Lake City suburbs West Valley City, West Jordan and Sandy challenged their counts, but not core city Salt Lake City. Nearby Provo, no urban jungle, had the largest addition to its population of any jurisdiction over 100,000 population, at 15.2 percent. The Bureau of the Census missed about 2,000 residents between Skokie and Hoffman Estates, headquarters of Sears Roebuck, but not a one in nearby Chicago, which has 25 times as many people as the two suburban jurisdictions combined. Overall, 47 jurisdictions with more than 100,000 population in 2000 have successfully challenged census estimates, many in more than one year. The total population addition from these challenges is 1.24 million, though there may be some duplication in city and county numbers. Overall, the census challenges have added a total of nearly 1,600,000 people, which is likely, with duplications, to exceed the population of two Congressional districts. All of the challenging jurisdictions combined had a population of less than 35 million in 2000, or less than 15 percent of the population. All of this raises questions. Beyond the questions about rejected challenges, if there have been any, are fundamental questions about Bureau of the Census methods. How can it be that the Census misses by so many people? Why did it presumably miss 15 percent of the population in Provo, 3 percent in New York City and 30 percent in Bazine City, Kansas, while apparently being so accurate in the remaining 85 percent of the nation that no one was missed? Why was the Bureau of the Census estimate so erroneous in New York, Boston and San Francisco, yet so accurate in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Phoenix, where there were no errors? Then there is the more fundamental question - have there been any rejections? It is possible that everything is on the "up and up" with respect to the Bureau of the Census challenge program. On the other hand, there appears to be plenty of potential for mischief, as some jurisdictions have become experts at challenging and the Bureau may find rejections difficult, given the pressure that could be received from members of Congress. But politicization of the Census is a terrible risk. That's why the Obama administration's decision to move authority for the Census to the White House from the Department of Commerce is so concerning. It is hard to imagine a function of government so crucial to the genuine working of democracy becoming subject to the whims of people like White House chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel - or down the road to a similarly partisan figure in the other party, like a Karl Rove. The good news is that a bill introduced by New York Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney would assure the census's integrity. Last year, she introduced the "Restoring the Integrity of American Statistics Act of 2008," with co-sponsors Henry Gonzales of Texas, Henry Waxman of California and William Clay of Missouri. Congresswoman Maloney's bill would remove the Bureau of the Census from the Department of Commerce and establish it as an independent federal agency, insulated from the political process. According to the Congresswoman: This action will be a clear signal to Americans that the agency they depend upon for unbiased monthly economic data as well as the important decennial portrait of our nation is independent, fair, and protected from interference. The bill http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1720&Ite… has been endorsed by all seven living former directors of the Bureau of the Census, appointed by Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes. This is the direction we need to go. The Administration has made much of its commitment to science and open inquiry. Preserving the sanctity of the census process would seem to confirm that commitment. In contrast, putting it under the control of White House political operatives represents a brazen act of political gamesmanship and a shameful turn in the wrong direction. It is to be hoped that the rising political firestorm and the http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123447333424979131.html?mod=djemalertN%20EWS recent withdrawal of Senator Judd Gregg from consideration for the post of Commerce Secretary might lead to a policy reversal. Wendell Cox is a Visiting Professor, Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris. He was born in Los Angeles and was appointed to three terms on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission by Mayor Tom -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 2 months

[CTPP] OMB proposal re Metro Area definitions

by Ed Christopher

I haven't been able to look at this yet, too busy celebrating Abe Lincoln's 200 birthday, but I thought I would get it out to folks. Not sure if there are any changes or not. ----------- OMB proposed changes to the 2000 Standards for Defining Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-2978.pdf ------------ -- Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 (V) 708-574-8131 (cell) FHWA RC-TST-PLN 19900 Governors Dr Olympia Fields, IL 60461

15 years, 2 months

[CTPP] Census News Brief

by Ed Christopher

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(a)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(a)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

15 years, 2 months

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CTPP February 2009