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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
U.S. TERRITORIES MID-DECADE CENSUS ACT
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HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN
of the northern mariana islands
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing a bill that would
require the United States Census Bureau to conduct a census every five
years in the U.S. insular areas of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This legislation is
necessary because the priority, availability, timeliness, and types of
data collected by federal agencies in the insular areas remains
deficient compared to data collection in the states. Without accurate
and timely information on changes in the economy, employment, income
levels, and other key indicators, insular governments are hindered in
the establishment of appropriate policy. And without these data,
governments and the public are less able to assess the effectiveness of
policies that have been established.
Every decade, the Census Bureau conducts a census throughout the
country to determine the number of people living in the country. In the
insular areas, detailed demographic, housing, and socioeconomic data is
also collected in the decennial census using a ``long-form''
questionnaire consisting of about 75 questions. The decennial census
conducted in the states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico only
asks 10 questions because the vital information gathered in the
decennial census is now acquired annually in the American Community
Survey.
The American Community Survey does not include data from the insular
areas. The Census Bureau has claimed that a lack of funding to collect
the data and the absence of a proven methodology tested in the
territories leaves the Bureau unable to include our districts and the
hundreds of thousands of Americans living there. As a result, the
insular areas have to wait every 10 years for critical, up-to date
information on education, income, housing, jobs, and insurance that
surveys like the American Community Survey provide. This data is vital
to sustain economic development and for prudent government and business
decisions. The decennial census is inadequate to this need. The
allocation of federal funding for numerous programs is also largely
based on the most recent census data available. With no alternative,
most current funding allocations to the insular areas are based on data
from the previous decennial census. 2010 Census data will continue to
be used for many federal program funding allocations until 2023--the
earliest key 2020 Census demographic data for the insular areas will
likely be available.
As an alternative to annual surveys, my bill would require the
Census Bureau to conduct a mid-decade census in the insular areas. The
bill starts the first mid-decade census in 2025 and in addition to the
decennial census, a census will be conducted every five years. This
will provide more current data in the insular areas, similar to that
provided by five-year estimates produced by the American Community
Survey. Having a mid-decade census will also enable insular governments
and the Census Bureau to plan and conduct data collection efforts that
are often logistically challenging in these diverse, remote regions. My
bill also authorizes appropriations for the mid-decade census, based on
costs estimates provided by the Census Bureau to conduct the 2020
decennial census in U.S. insular areas. I ask my colleagues for their
support.
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