June 15, 2005

Honorable Richard Shelby
Chairman
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science
Committee on Appropriations
S-146A The Capitol
Washington, DC  20510

Dear Mr. Chairman:

We are writing to express our strong support for the U.S. Census Bureau’s funding request for fiscal year 2006.  We urge you to preserve adequate funding for 2010 census planning and the American Community Survey (ACS) as the Science-State-Justice-Commerce appropriations bill moves through the legislative process.

We represent a wide range of stakeholders who rely on accurate, comprehensive data from the Census Bureau to better understand and serve our nation’s diverse population and communities.  From business and transportation, to education and housing, to health care and child care, census data (from the decennial and now the ACS) are the foundation for planning and investment decisions, needs assessment and projections, and program evaluation and enforcement.  The diverse groups that have signed this letter stand together in support of this invaluable resource that guides so much of our current work and illuminates future goals.

2010 Census Planning at Critical Point

Early planning is the most essential element on the path to a successful, cost-efficient decennial census.  Operational risk and costs will escalate if the Census Bureau cannot thoroughly test and evaluate new methods and design features.  In 2006, the Bureau will conduct its final field tests, in Travis County, Texas, and on the Cheyenne Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  It will refine procedures for using hand-held computers to collect information in the field; test effective ways to mail replacement questionnaires to unresponsive households, which could save tens of millions of dollars during the census; evaluate dual language questionnaires; and test new methods to improve the count of historically hard-to-enumerate populations.  Results from the 2006 Census Field Test will inform the design of the 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal, the only dry-run for the decennial count.

Also in 2006, the Census Bureau must evaluate results from the 2005 National Census Test, which will include proposed significant revisions to the short form and increased options for Internet response.  Work also must continue to update and improve the digital mapping system (TIGER) and Master Address File, to help ensure that all households are counted and assigned to the correct location.

The Census Bureau has requested $466.5 million for 2010 census activities next year.  The cyclical nature of the census requires a steady increase in funding for research and evaluations, field tests, and infrastructure development.  We urge you to fully fund this request and to oppose any amendments that would reduce this amount to pay for other programs within the Science-Commerce appropriations account.

Full Implementation of the American Community Survey

With nationwide launch of the ACS this year, the Census Bureau has put in place the structure for providing up-to-date comprehensive information on the socio-economic characteristics of our communities.  The ACS is one of the most prudent investments the government can make in sound planning and program development and evaluation.  Congress, state and local governments, businesses, and community service providers will be able to assess emerging needs far more accurately than they could with census long form data, which become quickly outdated and do not capture change over time.

ACS data will help public and private sector policymakers track and analyze, far more accurately than is currently possible, important trends such as growing school-age and senior citizen populations, incidence of poverty, availability of affordable housing, households needing language assistance, and the needs of veterans.  The relatively modest investment in this annual survey will allow legislators to target more effectively hundreds of billions of dollars annually in program funds, and businesses to invest trillions of dollars more prudently, for the betterment of all communities.

The Census Bureau has requested about $170 million for full implementation of the ACS in 2006.  This amount is necessary to incorporate group quarters, such as college dormitories, military barracks, and nursing homes, into the survey and to complete the transition from the long form.  Inadequate funding most likely would force the Census Bureau to reduce the sample size, which would place the reliability of the entire survey at risk.

Thank you for your consideration of our views and for your support of adequate funding for important Census Bureau activities.

Sincerely,

William L. Minnix, Jr., D. Min., President & CEO
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging

W. Paul Farmer, AICP, Executive Director & CEO
American Planning Association 

Dr. Sally T. Hillsman, Ph.D., Executive Officer
American Sociological Association 

Helen Samhan, Executive Director
Arab American Institute Foundation 

Dr. Wendy Manning, Ph.D., President
Association of Population Centers 

Ken Hodges, Chief Demographer
Claritas, Inc. 

Edward J. Spar, Executive Director
Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) 

Dr. Sandra J. Newman, Ph.D., Director, Professor of Policy Studies, Institute for Policy Studies
Johns Hopkins University 

Andrea L. Brown, AICP, Executive Director
Michigan Association of Planning 

Karen K. Narasaki, President and Executive Director
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium 

Hilary O. Shelton, Director
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Washington Bureau 

Joseph M. Stanton, Senior Staff Vice President
National Association of Home Builders 

Arturo Vargas, Executive Director
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO) 

Danilo Pelletiere, Research Director
National Low Income Housing Coalition 

Doug Bibby, President
National Multi Housing Council 

Judy L. Chesser, Director, Washington Office
City of New York 

Mark A. Wyckoff, FAICP, President
Planning & Zoning Center, Inc. 

Dr. Charles Hirschman, Ph.D., President
Population Association of America 

William P. Butz, President
Population Reference Bureau 

Patricia C. Becker, Executive Director
Gary Petroni, President
Southeast Michigan Census Council 

Gerald L. Storch, Vice Chairman
Target Corporation 

Larry Jones, Assistant Executive Director
U.S. Conference of Mayors