[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1701 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1701
To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the Secretary of
Commerce to provide advance notice to Congress before changing any
questions on the decennial census, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 19, 2021
Mr. Schatz (for himself, Ms. Smith, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Brown, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Bennet, Mr. King,
Mr. Wyden, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Warren, Mr.
Reed, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Peters, Mr. Van Hollen, and Mr. Cardin)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the Secretary of
Commerce to provide advance notice to Congress before changing any
questions on the decennial census, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Census Improving
Data and Enhanced Accuracy Act'' or the ``Census IDEA Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The decennial census was embedded in article I of the
Constitution of the United States by the founders of the United
States.
(2) The decennial census measures the progress of the
country and helps chart our future.
(3) The decennial census, for the decade to follow, shapes
the reapportionment of the House of Representatives and the
drawing of hundreds of congressional political districts and
thousands of State and local political districts.
(4) More than $1,500,000,000,000 in Federal assistance to
States and local communities every year is informed by the
results of the decennial census.
(5) The decennial census is the largest peacetime
mobilization undertaken by the Federal Government.
(6) Congress must ensure that every decennial census is a
complete, accurate, and fair decennial enumeration of all
individuals in the United States.
(7) Any late, untested changes to the operational design of
the decennial census will jeopardize public cooperation with
the census and, therefore, the success and accuracy of the
census.
SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DECENNIAL CENSUS.
Section 141 of title 13, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (f)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by adding ``and'' at the end;
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a period; and
(C) by striking paragraph (3);
(2) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h);
(3) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
``(g) Limitations and Requirements.--
``(1) Notice to congress of operational design, subjects,
types of information, and questions.--In the 2030 decennial
census of population and each decennial census thereafter, the
Secretary may not--
``(A) with respect to the census, implement any
major operational design element that has not been
researched, studied, and tested for a period of not
less than 3 years before the decennial census date; or
``(B) include on the questionnaire for the census
any subject, type of information, or question that was
not submitted to Congress in accordance with subsection
(f).
``(2) Biannual reports.--
``(A) Submission to congress.--
``(i) In general.--Not later than 90 days
after the date of enactment of this subsection
and biannually thereafter, the Secretary shall
submit to each committee of Congress having
legislative jurisdiction over the census, the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, and
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives a report that includes a
detailed statement on the status, at the time
of submission, of all research, testing, and
operations that are or will be part of the
Bureau's comprehensive plan for the next
decennial census.
``(ii) Operational plan components.--Not
later than 5 years before the decennial census
date, the Secretary shall include in a report
under clause (i) a description of each
component of the operational plan for that
decennial census.
``(B) Internet publication.--On the date on which
the Secretary submits a report under subparagraph (A),
the Secretary shall publish the report on the public
Internet website of the Bureau.
``(3) GAO analysis.--Before the decennial census date, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall determine and
report to Congress on whether the subjects, types of
information, and questions to be included in that decennial
census have been adequately researched, studied, and tested to
the same degree as in previous decennial censuses.
``(4) Applicability.--Nothing in this subsection shall be
construed to affect--
``(A) the mid-decade census conducted under
subsection (d); or
``(B) the survey conducted by the Secretary that is
commonly referred to as the `American Community
Survey'.''; and
(4) in subsection (h), as so redesignated, by inserting
``Definition.--'' before ``As used in''.
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