Should Congress be Informed of Changes to Census Questions Before They’re Finalized? (H.R. 5359)

What is H.R. 5359?

(Updated April 1, 2019)

This bill would prohibit the Dept. of Commerce from including information or questions in the census, or making major changes to the design of the census which haven’t been researched and tested for at least three years, unless Congress is provided with advance notice.

Beginning 90 days after this bill’s enactment, the Secretary of Commerce would be required to submit biannual reports including a detailed operational plan for the upcoming census with the status of all research and testing. The report would be published on the Census Bureau’s website. The Comptroller General of the U.S. would be required to certify that all information and questions to be included in the census have been adequately researched and tested before the census occurs.

Argument in favor

Congress needs to be periodically informed of potential changes to the census questionnaire before they’re finalized.

Argument opposed

Congress shouldn’t be looking over the Commerce Department’s work in preparing the census and making changes.

Impact

The Dept. of Commerce; the Comptroller General; and Congress.

Cost of H.R. 5359

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced this bill to ensure that modifications to the census are vetted before the administration changes the questionnaire:

“The 2020 Census Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy (IDEA) Act has unfortunately become a necessary safeguard against this administration’s clear desire to politicize and compromise the 2020 Census. This bill will protect the integrity of the census, our nation’s largest peacetime undertaking, by making sure that topics and questions included in the census are properly vetted and not added at the last minute — endangering the accuracy of the census, response rates, and cost to the taxpayer. We cannot accept an incomplete or unfair count in 2020 — too much is at stake. The data from the census affects the way federal and state funds are distributed and district lines are drawn, and helps businesses grow and non-profits better serve their communities. We need accurate, uncompromised data. The IDEA Act will help ensure that happens.”

This legislation has the support of 37 cosponsors, all of whom are Democrats.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) Press Release
  
• Countable (Context)