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HOUSE BILL WOULD CURTAIL
"DECEPTIVE" CENSUS SURVEYS
PLUS:
- CENSUS BUREAU TO RELEASE BLOCK-LEVEL DATA ON PRISON POPULATIONS IN TIME FOR REDISTRICTING
- THE REST OF THE NEWS: House hearing rescheduled
- STAKEHOLDER SPOTLIGHT: School Boards endorse Latino census campaign; National Latino Congreso resolution; and more.
- RESOURCES FOR CENSUS ADVOCATES
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HOUSE BILL WOULD CURTAIL"DECEPTIVE"
CENSUS SURVEYS
Rep.
Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY) today introduced a bill (H.R. 4621) that aims to curtail "look
alike" direct mail that "deliberately attempt[s] to confuse people into
opening envelopes by imitating official Census documents," according to
a press release from the long time member of the House census oversight
subcommittee.
Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), chairman of the committee with jurisdiction
over the Census Bureau and Rep. William "Lacy" Clay (D-MO), chairman of
the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
are
original cosponsors of the measure.
The "Prevent Deceptive
Census Look Alike Mailings Act" would require any mailing marked
"Census" on the outer envelope to identify the name and address of the
sender and would amend a current law governing deceptive mailings, that
requires a disclaimer that the item is not from or affiliated with the
federal government, to cover mailings that bear the word
"Census." The legislation "will give Postal Inspectors a much
needed tool to crack down on the widespread, deceptive mail pieces sent
by scam artists and some partisan groups who try to exploit the U.S.
Census for their own purposes," Chairman Clay said. The bill
gives the Postal Service authority to pursue appropriate remedies to
stop mailings that do not comply with the new requirements. The
sponsors noted that mailings purporting to be official government
documents or related to the upcoming decennial census have been sent to
households "ranging from Georgia to Colorado to Montana."
The
Republican National Committee (RNC) has come under fire recently from
survey researchers, census experts, and members of Congress for
an issues survey and fundraising appeal labeled "Congressional District
Census" and bearing a "census tracking code" on the outside
envelope. (See February 6th Census News Brief for additional information on the mailing.)
H.R. 4621 was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
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NEW CENSUS DATA PRODUCT WOULD AID REDISTRICTING WITHOUT PRISON POPULATIONS
The
Census Bureau has agreed to release, by May 2011, block-level
information on the location of group quarters facilities, such as
prisons, which would allow state and local legislatures to redraw
district lines without including inmates, according to a statement from
the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative (PPI).
The PPI has been documenting the effects of the census residence rule
governing prisoners on the redistricting process; the organization
produces the Prisoners of the Census newsletter.
Under
residence rules that govern where people are counted in the decennial
census, prisoners are counted at their place of incarceration on Census
Day, not at their home address. A growing number of advocacy
organizations, including the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School
of Law, Demos, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National
Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and Unity Diaspora Coalition,
are pressing for a change in the prisoner rule, arguing that the
frequent placement of prisons in rural counties with otherwise small
populations artificially inflates political representation for these
areas. Several states legislatures, including New York's, are
considering proposals to remove prisoners from the population base used
for state redistricting.
The PPI reported that Census Director
Robert Groves reached an agreement with census oversight subcommittee
Chairman Clay to release detailed information on the location of group
quarters, including prisoners, much earlier than in previous censuses,
to allow interested legislatures to consider the data in the
redistricting process. The PPI and other prisoners' rights
advocates also have urged the Census Bureau to collect a home address
from inmates, who are counted during the Group Quarters Enumeration
operation in April.
PPI executive director Peter Wagner called
the agreement "an important step toward recognizing the need for
improved data on incarcerated populations so that states can end the
practice of prison-based gerrymandering." National Coalition on
Black Civic Participation executive director Melanie Campbell said the
current residence rule "punishes [prisoners'] families and can have
staggering effects on poor and minority communities."
Earlier in
the decade, Congress requested a report from the Census Bureau on the
possibility of counting prisoners at their pre-incarceration address,
instead of at prison locations. The report is available on the Census Bureau's web site.
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THE REST OF THE NEWS ...
RESCHEDULED House
hearing on paid media campaign: The
House Subcommitee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
(Committee on Oversight and Government Reform), chaired by Rep. William
"Lacy" Clay (D-MO), has rescheduled its hearing (originally set for
February 10) to review the 2010 census paid media campaign, with a
focus on the targeted campaigns to reach historically hard-to-count
communities. The hearing is now scheduled for February 24, at
10:00AM in Room 2247 Rayburn House Office Building. Invited
witnesses include Census Director Robert Groves and representatives of
national advocacy organizations engaged in census outreach to
hard-to-count population groups.
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STAKEHOLDER SPOTLIGHT
? The Board of Directors of the National Association of School Boards endorsed the ya es hora ¡Hagase Contar¡ 2010
census campaign. Research has shown that children, especially
under age five, are missed disproportionately in the decennial census.
? The 2010 National Latino Congreso unanimously
approved a resolution calling for full participation in the 2010
census. The resolution also urged greater spending on outreach to
hard-to-count communities, called on the Department of Homeland
Security to halt "anti-immigrant enforcement measures" during the
census, and warned that a census undercount might require a statistical
adjustment. Census Director Groves told Congress during his
confirmation hearing last year that he would not support the use of
statistical methods to adjust the 2010 census, saying the Census Bureau
had not prepared for such a contingency.
One thousand Latino
leaders and activists attended the 4th National Latino Congreso in Los
Angeles earlier this month. In a written statement, Lillian
Rodriguez-Lopez, President of the Hispanic Federation, urged President
Obama to take steps to halt raids, firings, and deportations during the
census, "to dispel any fears that the immigrant community have" about
participating in the decennial count.
? The City of Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon,
announced that its Census Complete Count Committee had awarded $140,000
in mini-grants to local community organizations and nonprofits
conducting outreach in hard-to-count and low response
communities. The local governments partnered with private
foundations and businesses to raise funds for the Complete Count
program. The United Way of the Columbia-Willamette will administer the grants, which will fund projects involving more than 25 organizations serving targeted populations.
Multnomah
County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury said the grants "will ensure
specific outreach and assistance in completing the Census in
communities of color, with seniors and people who are disabled, and for
those who are experiencing homelessness." Portland Commissioner
Nick Fish noted the importance of census data for funding education,
transportation, housing, emergency food and shelter, and senior citizen
programs.
? RESCHEDULED: The National Congress of
American Indians (NCAI) has rescheduled its webinar on "How To Be
Involved in the Indian Country Counts Campaign," to
discuss strategies for reaching American Indians and Alaska Natives
with effective census messaging. Send an e-mail to tdeal@ncai.org if you would like to participate in
the February 17th (2:00PM EST) event. NCAI also is hosting a census art
competition.
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RESOURCES FOR CENSUS ADVOCATES
? The Latino Census Network,
a project of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP), is a
national clearinghouse for census issues facing the Latino community.
Sign up
to receive news articles, political commentary, notices of Latino
community census events, and other relevant information.
? The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network's Nonprofits Count! campaign is offering two new posters for nonprofits and other
organizations and businesses that serve hard-to-count communities to
display in their lobbies and windows. Visit http://www.nonprofitscount.org/ to order a free poster.
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QUICK LINKS:
2010 Census Website: The
Census Bureau's new 2010 census website offers useful basic
information on the census process, as well as sample questionnaires,
information on job opportunities, and in-language materials. Add it to
your "Bookmarks" bar to track mail response rates daily for your state
and locality starting in late March.
2010 Census en Espanol Website: New official 2010 census Spanish language website.
2010 Census Jobs: Visit this web page to download a Census Practice Test and find
information about the application process and a Local Census Office
near you.
The Census Project: Visit the Census Project website for previous Census News Briefs,
fact sheets, and a weekly blog in support of an accurate 2010
census. Become a fan of the Census Project on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Census-Project/251237523383.
Census 2010 Interactive Hard To Count Mapping Site:
This new mapping site, developed by the City University of New York
Mapping Services at the Graduate Center, allows users to pinpoint
hard-to-count census tracts and identify the socio-economic
characteristics that contribute to difficult enumeration conditions,
allowing advocates to target outreach and tailor messages.
Leadership Conference Education Fund:
The LCEF 2010 Census campaign offers fact sheets, a toolkit, data on
the census undercount, and promotional materials to reach historically
hard-to-count communities.
Nonprofits Count:
The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network's 2010 census campaign features
fact sheets, a toolkit, posters and swag, and state-specific resources
to help nonprofits promote census participation. Check the
website for information on webinars on important census topics.
ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR¡: Resources and promotional materials, in Spanish and English, targeting the Latino population.
National Urban League:
This Census Information Center web page includes links to demographic
information on the Black population, job opportunities, and other 2010
census materials.
Asian American Justice Center:
Resources and information, including in-language census forms,
targeting the Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander
populations.
Indian Country Counts: Region-specific information, events, job listings, and tools for the American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
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Census News Briefs are prepared by Terri Ann Lowenthal,
an independent legislative and policy consultant specializing in the
census and federal statistics. 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@aol.com.
Please feel free to circulate this document to other interested
individuals and organizations. Ms. Lowenthal is a consultant to the
nonpartisan Census Project, organized by the Communications Consortium
Media Center in Washington, DC. Previous Census News Briefs are posted
at www.thecensusproject.org.
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Contact information:
TerriAnn2K@aol.com
(tel.) 203-353-4364 |
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