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[CTPP] Census2000 Initiative News Alert

by ed christopher

From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> Census Monitoring Board Report Analyzes Funding Consequences of Census Undercount Plus: OMB Issues New Guidance on Tabulating Race Data; Congress Continues Oversight of Census Operations; Virginia Anti-Sampling Bill Headed for Governor's Desk The Presidential members of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board released a report last week analyzing the potential effect on the distribution of federal funds of an undercount in the 2000 census. The firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) prepared the report for the Democratic members of the Board. PwC studied eight federal programs representing over 82 percent of federal grant programs (with obligations over $500 million in fiscal year 1998) that rely on census data to determine the allocation of funds. For these programs, the report concludes that 26 states and the District of Columbia would lose an estimated $9.1 billion in funding from 2002-2012 due to a projected undercount in Census 2000. 169 metropolitan areas would lose $11.1 billion over the same period, according to the analysis, with the affected jurisdictions losing an average of $3,391 for each person not counted in the census. PwC said the projected funding losses are conservative estimates because it did not review all population-based federal programs or any state programs that distribute funds to counties and cities based on census data. Gilbert Cassellas, Presidential Co-chair of the Census Monitoring Board, said, "This study confirms that a 2000 undercount would result in federal funds being sent to places where the need is not the greatest." Board member Lorraine Green said at a press conference: "It is in the economic self-interest of every American ... to participate in the census." The other Presidential appointees on the Board are former Commerce Under Secretary Everett Ehrlich and California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. Dr. Peter Merrill, director of PwC's National Economic Consulting Group, oversaw preparation of the report. PwC estimates that the net national undercount rate for Census 2000 will be 1.75 percent of the population, or nearly 5 million people, a figure that it called "conservative." The net undercount in 1990 was 1.59 percent. To estimate the potential misallocation of funds following the 2000 census, PwC applied the undercount rate for states, counties, and cities for the 1990 census to the latest Census Bureau population projections for 2000. (The methodology is described more fully in the report.) The Bureau measured the 1990 undercount using a 'post enumeration survey' conducted in the summer of 1990. PwC also assumed current funding formulas for the programs studied, and funding levels cited in the Clinton Administration's fiscal year 2000 Current Services Budget. The Census Monitoring Board was created in late 1997 pursuant to a provision of the Census Bureau's funding bill for fiscal year 1998. The Board has eight members: four appointed by President Clinton, two appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (then Rep. Newt Gingrich), and two appointed by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS). The Board will operate through September 2001. The PwC report, "Effect of Census 2000 Undercount on Federal Funding to States and Local Areas, 2002-2012," is available through the Presidential Board members' Web site, www.cmbp.gov <http://www.cmbp.gov>, and the PricewaterhouseCoopers Web site, www.pwcglobal.com <http://www.pwcglobal.com>. The Congressional Board members, led by Co-chair Kenneth Blackwe ll, maintain their own Web site at www.cmbc.gov <http://www.cmbc.gov>. OMB issues guidance on tabulating race data: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued further guidance on tabulating race data under its revised standards to federal agencies charged with monitoring and enforcing civil rights laws. In a March 9th memo to agency heads, OMB Director Jacob Lew noted that the Census Bureau would publish the full range of 63 possible single and multiple race responses from Census 2000. He said OMB must ensure the "ability to monitor compliance with laws that offer protections for those who historically have experienced discrimination [as well as] minimize reporting burden for institutions such as schools and businesses that report aggregate data on race to federal agencies." OMB modified the policy for collecting data on race and ethnicity in October 1997; the new policy allows people to select more than one race when they answer the census or fill out forms for employers or schools. The five single race categories are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White. Hispanic is considered an ethnicity under the OMB policy, and Hispanics may select one or more of the race options in Census 2000 in addition to identifying themselves in a separate "Hispanic origin" question. For the purpose of reporting data to federal agencies, the OMB guidelines call for aggregating the information by the five single race categories; four double race combinations projected to be chosen most frequently; other multiple race combinations that comprise more than one percent of the population in the relevant jurisdiction (as determined by the responsible agency); and a balance category for all other responses. For civil rights monitoring and enforcement, federal agencies will allocate multiple race responses in several ways: combinations of one minority race and White are allocated to the minority race; combinations that include two or more minority races are allocated to the race that is cited as the basis for discrimination, in the case of an individual complaint of discrimination. In cases that require an assessment of disparate impact or discriminatory patterns (such as the employment record of a particular company), the enforcement agency will review the patterns based on alternative allocations to each of the minority groups reported. Interested stakeholders may contact OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs/Statistical Policy Office, at 202/395-3093, or visit the Federal Statistics Briefing Rooms, at www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr <http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr>, for further information. Congressional oversight continues: Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt vigorously defended his agency against charges by a House subcommittee chairman that Congress, the General Accounting Office (GAO), and other external watchdogs are denied timely access to information about census operations and local census facilities. At a March 8th hearing of the Subcommittee on the Census, Dr. Prewitt drew a distinction between "proper oversight" and "managing the census," noting that the GAO had recently requested "a terabyte" of information equal to 50 million telephone books. Subcommittee Chairman Dan Miller (R-FL) said the Census Bureau "has built unnecessary barriers" to gathering information that "will affect respect for the census." He said Bureau guidelines for visits to local census offices by congressional staff, Census Monitoring Board representatives, and other official observers, "border on arrogant." Dr. Prewitt replied that the guidelines apply only to field office visits that involve operational staff, and that they help the Bureau accommodate requests on a systematic basis. The director pointed to a recent letter from Census Monitoring Board Republican Co-chair Kenneth Blackwell, outlining plans for his staff to visit 31 local census offices in March. He said the Bureau has responded to every request from its overseers. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the panel's senior Democrat, said she wanted to "focus on the good news." "[T]he 2000 census operations are on schedule and as of today there are no major problems," she said in her opening remarks. In response to the chairman's concerns about access to Census Bureau information, Rep. Maloney cautioned against "over zealous oversight," saying the director was being criticized for an inability to answer a large number of requests, not for his implementation of the census. Rep. Miller also raised several operational concerns, such as the apparent confusion in some English-speaking households over why the advance notification mailing included a return envelope. Dr. Prewitt acknowledged that the failure to explain the second envelope to those not requesting a foreign language form was an "error in judgment," but noted that only a few hundred households out of 115 million recipients had complained. The director told panel members that while there are "numerous and constant issues that present problems" during the census, "we have not yet hit a problem that puts the census at risk." The Census Subcommittee will hold its next hearing to review the status of census operations on Tuesday, March 14, at 2:00 p.m. in room 2203 Rayburn House Office Building. Representatives of the U.S. General Accounting Office will testify. State legislative activities update: The Virginia State Senate narrowly approved a bill last week prohibiting the use of statistically corrected census data for redrawing congressional and General Assembly district boundaries. The House of Delegates passed the same bill in February. The measure awaits a signature or veto by Governor James S. Gilmore III (R), who has previously voiced opposition to using sampling methods in the census. Virginia is one of 16 states subject to section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which requires approval from the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal district court for any change to state election laws. States covered by section 5 must show that the change does not diminish the right to vote of racial, ethnic, or language minorities, before the new law can take effect. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to TerriAnn Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at terriann2k(a)aol.com. For copies of previous News Alerts and other information, use our web site www.census2000.org <http://www.census2000.org>. Please direct all requests to receive News Alerts, and all changes in address/phone/fax/e-mail, to the Census 2000 Initiative at Census2000(a)ccmc.org or 202/326-8700. Please feel free to circulate this information to colleagues and other interested individuals.

25 years, 6 months

[CTPP] Subject: IMPORTANT: TAZ-UP VERIFICATION PROCESS

by Srinivasan

The CTPP Working Group expects a revised version of TAZ-UP Software and TAZ verification TIGER/Line files to be ready for shipping in April 2000. Participants will have one month to review the file and return it with any corrections to the Census Bureau Geography Division. At this time, we would like to ensure that your addresses and contact names are correctly maintained in the FHWA database. Attached are pdf and Excel versions containing the names and addresses of agencies that will receive the TAZ-UP verification files. **Please** go through the file to ensure that your name and address are correct. Please e-mail any corrections to Nanda Srinivasan at ctpp(a)fhwa.dot.gov, or by replying to this e-mail. If you/your organization submitted a TAZ file to the Census Bureau, but the name does not appear on this list, please call Nanda Srinivasan immediately at (202) 366-5021. Thank You Nanda Srinivasan

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] Workplace Update CDs Now Shipping

by Phillip.A.Salopek＠ccmail.census.gov

The first Workplace Update CDs shipped yesterday via overnight carrier from ESRI headquartes in Redlands, CA. Disc 1 contains the Work-UP software extension to ArcView, Tiger/Line Shape files, and geocoded and ungeocoded employer files for counties in the six New England states. Copies of the other 29 CDs will follow in the next 2 weeks. The attached Excel 4.0 worksheet file shows how the states are bundled on the CDs. We are shipping each agency the CDs they will need to review their area. NOTE: Geography Division here at Census has agreed to continue to accept Work-UP files until May 31, 2000. It will help our processing schedule if agencies can return the files by the end of April, but we will continue to accept them through May. We will not accept any files after May 31. We have created a link on the TRB Subcommttee web site to copies of the Work-UP User Guide, if you would like to get an advance look at the application before your discs arrive. It is available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and as a MS-Word 97 document. Contact Nanda Srinivasan at FHWA (202) 366-5000 or at nanda.srinivasan(a)fhwa.dot.gov if you need a different format. The TRB Subcommittee on Census Data for Transportation Planning web site is at http://www.mcs.com/~berwyned/census/. The direct link to the Work-UP page is http://www.mcs.com/~berwyned/census/workup. (See attached file: wupstcds.xls)

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] Attention Non (PC) Based ArcView Users

by ed christopher

Last week the CTPP Planning group was discussing the forthcoming TAZ verification software and process. The software that will be used will be similar to the TAZ-UP software that was distributed last summer. It will run on PC versions of ArcView. The purpose of the verification process will be to check the TAZ's that were submitted against what got coded into TIGER. In the ideal, the TAZ plan that was submitted this past Fall should match what was put into TIGER so any changes would be minimal. During the discussion of the TAZ verification software it dawned on me that several regions used non PC-based ArcView processes in creating their original TAZ plans. Since last weeks meeting I have talked to few folks who used other than TAZ-UP procedures and they did not think they would have any problems reading the new TIGER file and checking their TAZ boundaries. Although the CTPP planning group has a list of non PC-based ArcView users in its files, I would like to make sure that it is complete. If you submitted a TAZ plan and were NOT a PC-based ArcView user please send me a short email to let me know. Thanks Ed Christopher Chair--TRB Subcommittee on Census Data for Transportation Planning

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] Baltimore Conference on ACS and Administrative Records, June 200

by Chuck Purvis

The University of Baltimore is hosting a two-day conference, June 6-7, 2000, on "Developing Public Policy Applications with the American Community Survey and Community Administrative Records" The conference is co-sponsored by the Census Bureau and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The focus is on research interests related to HHS, including "welfare-to-work transitions, economic development, education policy, rural development, housing policy, neighborhood safety, energy and the environment, homelessness, and GIS." Conference web site is at: http://www.ubalt.edu/jfc/Conf/Flyer.htm This is not a transportation-related conference, but may be useful to USDOT, MPO, COG and State DOT staff interested in ACS research. Very interesting..... Chuck. ******************************************************* e-mail: cpurvis(a)mtc.ca.gov Chuck Purvis, AICP Senior Transportation Planner/Analyst, Planning Section Metropolitan Transportation Commission 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA 94607-4700 (510) 464-7731 (voice) (510) 464-7848 (fax) WWW: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/ MTC DataMart: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/datamart/ MTC FTP Site: ftp://ftp.abag.ca.gov/pub/mtc/planning/ Personal WWW: http://home.earthlink.net/~clpurvis/ *******************************************************

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] Agencies That Have Responded to Work-UP Questionnaire

by Phillip.A.Salopek＠ccmail.census.gov

The previous file was in a format we did not intend to send. Hopefully the attached file will be able to be read by all. Thanks to all of you who have responded to the Work-UP questionnaire! The Census Bureau is gearing up to send out the package next week. However there are a large number of agencies who have not yet responded. You need to let us know if you are looking to participate in the Work-UP program. Below is a list of agencies from whom I have received a response. If you do not see your name on the list and you have responded, with adequate time for me to receive your letter or fax, please let me know. Otherwise please send me your response as soon as you are able. If you do not have the informational letter and questionnaire, it is on the TRB Subcommittee web site at http://www.mcs.com/~berwyned/census/ I can be reached by phone at 301 457 2454, by fax at 301 457 2481, or via email at clara.a.reschovsky(a)ccmail.census.gov Thank you, Clara Reschovsky The Agencies who have responded: (See attached file: wupyes.txt)

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] message to list serve

by Clara.A.Reschovsky＠ccmail.census.gov

Thanks to all of you who have responded to the Work-UP questionnaire! The Census Bureau is gearing up to send out the package next week. However there are a large number of agencies who have not yet responded. You need to let us know if you are looking to participate in the Work-UP program. Below is a list of agencies from whom I have received a response. If you do not see your name on the list and you have responded, with adequate time for me to receive your letter or fax, please let me know. Otherwise please send me your response as soon as you are able. If you do not have the informational letter and questionnaire, it is on the CTPP website at http://www.mcs.com/~berwyned/census/ I can be reached by phone at 301 457 2454, by fax at 301 457 2481, or via email at clara.a.reschovsky(a)ccmail.census.gov Thank you, Clara Reschovsky The Agencies who have responded: (Embedded image moved to file: pic22663.pcx)

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] Metadata/trb2001

by Marcus Wigan

Ed- just to remind you that we took on doing a Metadata session for the Urban data Committee. I know you are flat out, so if you like ill draft a call for paper for you to comment on? marc

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] Census 2000 Initiative News Alert

by ed christopher

From: Census2000 <Census2000(a)ccmc.org> Virginia Lawmakers Move to Bar Use Of Scientifically-Corrected Census Numbers Plus: Census Bureau Clarifies Policy for Hiring Non-Citizens; Congressional Oversight Hearing Scheduled The Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill (HB 1486) that would require the use of unadjusted census figures for congressional, state, and local redistricting. The House bill, passed on February 9, now goes to the State Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. Republicans hold the majority in both chambers of the Virginia legislature; Governor James Gilmore III (R) has said he supports efforts to prohibit the use of statistically-adjusted census numbers for redistricting. The Virginia action comes in the wake of similar debate in state houses across the country over the use of census numbers corrected on the basis of the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation, or ACE, survey. Under the Census 2000 plan, census enumerators will start contacting residents of the 300,000 households in the ACE survey, by telephone, in early May. Interviewing will begin in mid-June and continue through mid-August, 2000. Last year, four states -- Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, and Kansas -- enacted laws barring the use of census numbers derived in part through statistical sampling methods in the redistricting process. Alaska and Arizona must obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, under section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (as amended), before the new laws can take effect. Update on hiring policy for non-citizens: The Census Bureau has clarified its policy for hiring non-citizens during Census 2000. If the Bureau identifies a need for translation skills in certain communities, it will hire non-citizens (who are otherwise legally eligible to work in the United States) to help with the count, regardless of their country of origin. According to the Bureau, "In some communities employment of individuals with translation skills will emerge as an immediate hiring requirement. Candidates who meet these requirements and are legally authorized to work in the United States may be hired to work on the census." The Census Bureau may hire non-citizens for Census 2000 jobs that do not require translation skills if other legal constraints are followed. Last summer, the Department of Commerce issued a waiver allowing the Census Bureau to hire temporary employees for Census 2000 without giving priority to U.S. citizens. However a recent U.S. General Accounting Office report noted that since 1939, Congress has prohibited most Federal agencies from hiring non-citizens within the United States. But current law also grants certain exceptions to the ban, including persons from countries allied with the U.S. in a defense effort, citizens from Ireland, Israel, and the Philippines, and persons from U.S. territories. Another exception involves the need for translation skills, as the Bureau tries to persuade immigrants to participate in the census and helps them complete the forms. All qualified job applicants must be legally eligible to work in the United States. The Census Bureau must hire about 500,000 temporary employees to fill 860,000 positions during peak census operations. It hopes some workers will perform more than one job. Congressional hearing scheduled: The House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Census (Committee on Government Reform) will hold an oversight hearing on Tuesday, February 15, to discuss the U.S. General Accounting Office's oversight of Census 2000 operations. The hearing begins at 2:00 p.m. in room 2247 Rayburn House Office Building. Questions about the information contained in this News Alert may be directed to TerriAnn Lowenthal at 202/484-2270 or, by e-mail at terriann2k(a)aol.com. For copies of previous News Alerts and other information, use our web site www.census2000.org <http://www.census2000.org>. Please direct all requests to receive News Alerts, and all changes in address/phone/fax/e-mail, to the Census 2000 Initiative at Census2000(a)ccmc.org or 202/326-8700. Please feel free to circulate this information to colleagues and other interested individuals.

25 years, 7 months

[CTPP] 1998 ACS Data released

by ed christopher

The Census Bureau today announced the release of the third edition of the American Community Survey CD-ROM featuring information from the 1998 survey. (The American Community Survey is designed to replace the long-form questionnaire in the 2010 census.) The CD-ROM, which comes with its own software, allows users to quickly access information in narrative and tabular formats. Users also can view or print charts, maps and reports from prepackaged tabulations, replicating those found in standard decennial reports, and conduct complex data manipulations and customized cross-tabulations. Data are displayed in three formats: community profiles, detailed summary tables (similar to those from the 1990 census), and public-use microdata. The 1998 CD-ROM includes data for two new sites, as well as multi-year data for many 1996 and 1997 sites. The sites added in 1998 were Kershaw and Richland counties in South Carolina and Broward County in Florida. Also included in 1998 were Douglas County, Neb.; Franklin County, Ohio; Fort Bend and Harris counties, Texas; Otero County, N.M.; Rockland County, N.Y.; Multnomah County, Ore.; and Fulton County, Pa. The data may be viewed with Windows 95, 98 or NT operating systems. The CD-ROM includes a user-friendly browser known as Beyond 20/20 licensed by Ivation Datasystems, Inc. The Hands-On Guided Tour includes tutorial "movies" about how to use the software to find the information the user needs. The Quick Start Guide has been updated to direct the user through more complex data manipulations and features. A copy of the American Community Survey questionnaire is provided, along with information about methods, concepts and definitions related to the data. Narrative profiles providing plain-language descriptions of each community complement standard tables. The American Community Survey will provide accurate and timely demographic and economic indicators throughout the decade for federal, state and local governments. Communities can use the information to plan for economic development; to make decisions about locating schools, roads and hospitals; and to monitor change over time. The number of sites was expanded in 1999 to 31. The American Community Survey will be conducted nationwide in 2003. For more information on the survey or to request a free copy of the CD-ROM, please call 1-888-456-7215 or send an e-mail to <acs(a)census.gov>.

25 years, 8 months

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