Statement on House Action on the Census Amendment

I am very disappointed that the House failed to adopt an amendment to the FY '99 Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill that would have removed onerous restrictions on the Census Bureau's plan for the decennial census. By failing to adopt this amendment, the House is undermining the Census Bureau's ability to plan and conduct an accurate decennial census.

To ensure a fair and accurate count, my administration has supported the 2000 census plan, developed by the experts at the Census Bureau, that was based upon recommendations by the National Academy of Sciences. It is a plan that will correct the inaccuracies of the 1990 census, which missed millions of Americans and disproportionately undercounted children, minorities, and residents in urban and rural communities. This is the first census of the 21st century, and we must ensure that the census, the single most important source of information about the American people, is accurate.

Congress must remove these restrictions. It is critically important that the Census Bureau have the funding it needs to implement its 2000 census plan, a plan that will produce the most accurate census in history using the best, most up-to-date scientific methods.