House Funding Cuts Could Endanger Census Accuracy
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 6/20/2005
A House-approved amendment slashing $20 million from the Census Bureau's FY 2006 budget could negatively affect the allocation of resources to important state and federal programs that depend on accurate census data.Initial information from the Census Bureau indicates that new procedures the agency wants to test in preparation for the 2010 Census might be cancelled because of the cuts, including plans to test a dual English-Spanish language questionnaire and targeted second mailings to households that do not return the first census forms. Both measures could contribute greatly to data accuracy.
The amendment was offered by Rep. Brian Baird, D. Wash., and approved June 14 by 260-168 vote, shifting the money from the Census Bureau to the Community Oriented Policing Services (OCP) program and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Rep. Baird said that increasing funds for these programs was necessary for law enforcement authorities to fight the growing problem of methamphetamine use.
He questioned the Bureau's need for so much money, saying the agency had already received billions of dollars since 2001 and had wasted money during the 2000 census, handing out paperweights, calendars, and other trinkets.
Lawmakers opposing the amendment agreed that there was a need for drug-fighting money; however, they also noted that it was important for the Census Bureau to receive the correct amount of funding in order to fully prepare for the 2010 census.
Supporters say that sufficient funding is necessary because the data is vital to the government. Rep. Michael Turner, R. Ohio, chairman of the Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census, said, "The census provides information vital to how we as a Nation operate."
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D. N.Y., agreed, noting that the federal and state funds for education programs, housing assistance, and programs for the elderly are allocated based on census data.
