I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1638 

To repeal the authority to conduct certain censuses, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 18, 2013 

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. 

JONES, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. RIBBLE, and Mr. SOUTHERLAND) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 

Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture 

and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To repeal the authority to conduct certain censuses, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Census Reform Act 

5 of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REPEAL AND CANCELLATION OF CERTAIN CENSUS 

2 ACTIVITIES UNDER TITLE 13, UNITED STATES 

3 CODE. 

4 (a) REPEAL OF CENSUS RELATING TO AGRI5 CULTURE.—Chapter 3 of title 13, United States Code, is 

6 repealed. 

7 (b) REPEAL OF ECONOMIC CENSUS.—Subchapter I 

8 of chapter 5 of such title is repealed. 

9 (c) REPEAL OF MID-DECADE CENSUS.—Section 141 

10 of such title is amended— 

11 (1) by striking subsection (d); 

12 (2) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(e) If in the administration of any program estab15 lished by or under Federal law which provides benefits to 

16 State or local governments or to other recipients, eligibility 

17 for or the amount of such benefits would (without regard 

18 to this subsection) be determined by taking into account 

19 data obtained in the most recent decennial census then 

20 in the determination of such eligibility or amount of bene21 fits the most recent data available from either the mid22 decade or decennial census shall be used.’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘and mid-dec24 ade’’ and ‘‘or (d)’’. 


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1 (d) REPEAL OF CENSUS OF GOVERNMENTS.—Sub2 chapter III of chapter 5 of title 13, United States Code, 

3 is repealed. 

4 (e) EFFECT ON CENSUS ACTIVITIES.—Beginning on 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

6 Commerce and the Bureau of the Census— 

7 (1) are not authorized to carry out any activi8 ties with respect to— 

9 (A) a census conducted under chapter 3, 

10 subchapter I or subchapter III of chapter 5, or 

11 section 141(d) of such title, as in effect on the 

12 day before the date of the enactment of this 

13 Act; or 

14 (B) a survey (including the survey, con15 ducted by the Secretary of Commerce, which is 

16 commonly referred to as the ‘‘American Com17 munity Survey’’), sampling, or other question18 naire conducted under such title; 

19 (2) shall terminate any activities being carried 

20 out with respect to any such census, survey, sam21 pling, or questionnaire; and 

22 (3) may only conduct the decennial census of 

23 population, as authorized under section 141 of title 

24 13, United States Code. 


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1 (f) RESCISSION OF UNOBLIGATED AMOUNTS.—Any 

2 unobligated amounts available to carry out the American 

3 Community Survey or the following provisions of title 13, 

4 United States Code, are rescinded: 

5 (1) Section 141(d). 

6 (2) Chapter 3. 

7 (3) Subchapter I and subchapter III of chapter 

8 5. 

9 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON SURVEYS OR QUESTIONNAIRES; 

10 LIMITATIONS ON STATISTICS COLLECTED IN 

11 A DECENNIAL CENSUS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 1 of title 

13 13, United States Code, is amended by inserting after sec14 tion 5 the following: 

15 ‘‘§ 5a. Prohibition on surveys or questionnaires; limi16 tation on statistics 

17 ‘‘(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law— 

18 ‘‘(1) the Secretary may not conduct any survey, 

19 sampling, or other questionnaire, and may only con20 duct a decennial census of population as authorized 

21 under section 141; and 

22 ‘‘(2) any form used by the Secretary in such a 

23 decennial census may only collect information nec24 essary for the tabulation of total population by 

25 States.’’. 


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1 (b) REPEAL OF SURVEY, QUESTIONNAIRE, OR SAM2 PLING AUTHORITY.—Sections 182, 193, and 195 of title 

3 13, United States Code, are repealed. 

4 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 141 of 

5 such title is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Sec7 retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Consistent with the limita8 tions set forth in section 5a, the Secretary’’; and 

9 (2) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘, housing, 

10 and matters relating to population and housing’’. 

11 SEC. 4. REPEAL OF CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE ACT OF 1997. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Census of Agriculture Act of 

13 1997 (7 U.S.C. 2201 note; Public Law 105–113) is re14 pealed. 

15 (b) EFFECT ON 2013 CENSUS.—Beginning on the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agri17 culture— 

18 (1) is not authorized to carry out any activities 

19 with respect to the census required to be conducted 

20 in 2013 under the Census of Agriculture Act of 

21 1997 (7 U.S.C. 2201 note; Public Law 105–113), as 

22 in effect on the day before the date of the enactment 

23 of this Act; and 

24 (2) shall terminate any activities being carried 

25 out with respect to such census. 


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1 (c) RESCISSION OF UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—Any un2 obligated amounts available to carry out the Census of Ag3 riculture Act (7 U.S.C. 2201 note; Public Law 105–113) 

4 are rescinded. 

Æ 


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