Rep. Maloney introduces House Resolution affirming importance of U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Economic Census

Aug 2, 2012 Issues: Census
Press Contact: 
Jon Houston (202) 225-7944

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and 12 co-sponsors today introduced a resolution supporting the importance of census surveys and the data they produce. In showing strong support for census programs, including the American Community Survey and the Economic Census, this resolution highlights the high value of the information provided to the nation in these surveys to both the public and private sectors. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a companion resolution in the Senate.

There has been a recent effort to reduce funding for and cut important surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Eliminating these government statistics would weaken our ability to grow the economy and compete on a global market.

“The census provides reliable, timely statistics that are a fundamental building block for how our country measures itself. These statistics are used by the public, private, and education sectors. The statistics, which are available for large and small geographic areas, help local businesses make good decisions that grow the economy and allow the U.S. to compete better globally.

The resolution notes that since our founding as a nation, Congress has recognized the value of census surveys to inform policymaking and measure our country’s progress, and that in modern times, the information is used by the public sector to best understand where to build hospitals and roads and by the business community to work efficiently.

Original cosponsors of the resolution include Reps. Michael Honda (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), John Olver (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), José Serrano (D-NY), Laura Richardson (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Fortney Stark (D-CA), John Lewis (D-GA), Barney Frank (D-MA), Raúl Grijalva (D-NM).

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The full text of the resolution is viewable here: maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/oversight/CensusCommissionMALONE_148_xml.pdf