IIB

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 472

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

APRIL 15, 1999

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs

AN ACT

To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the use

of postcensus local review as part of each decennial census.

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Local Census Quality

3 Check Act’’.

4 SEC 2. POSTCENSUS LOCAL REVIEW.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title

6 13, United States Code, is amended by adding after sec7 tion 141 the following:

8 ‘‘§ 142. Postcensus local review

9 ‘‘(a) Each decennial census taken after the date of

10 enactment of this section shall include an opportunity for

11 postcensus local review, similar to that afforded as part

12 of the 1990 decennial census, so that local governmental

13 units may review household counts, jurisdictional bound14 aries, and such other data as the Secretary considers ap15 propriate for the purpose of identifying discrepancies or

16 other potential problems before the tabulation of total pop17 ulation by States (as required for the apportionment of

18 Representatives in Congress among the several States) is

19 completed.

20 ‘‘(b) Any postcensus local review afforded under this

21 section in connection with a decennial census shall be con22 ducted in conformance with the following:

23 ‘‘(1) Not later than February 1st of the year in

24 which such census is taken, the Secretary shall no25 tify local governmental units as to the guidelines for,

26 and shall furnish them with any other information
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1 pertinent to, their participating in the upcoming

2 postcensus local review.

3 ‘‘(2)(A) Not later than 30 days before submit4 ting to a local governmental unit the data subject to

5 its review under this section, the Secretary shall fur6 nish to such unit the appropriate block level maps

7 and lists of housing units.

8 ‘‘(B) Not later than August 1st of the year in

9 which such census is taken or, if earlier, the 30th

10 day after the date on which the nonresponse fol11 lowup process for such census is completed, the Sec12 retary shall submit to each local governmental unit

13 the data which is subject to review by such govern14 mental unit under this section.

15 ‘‘(C) For purposes of subparagraph (B), the

16 date on which the nonresponse followup process for

17 a census is completed shall be as determined by the

18 Secretary.

19 ‘‘(3) A local governmental unit shall have 45

20 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal pub21 lic holidays) to review the data submitted to it under

22 paragraph (2)(B), and to submit any challenges re23 lating to such data.

24 ‘‘(4) The Secretary shall investigate all chal25 lenges timely submitted under paragraph (3), recan-
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1 vass such blocks or other units as the Secretary con2 siders appropriate in connection with any such chal3 lenge, and correct any miscounts identified pursuant

4 to any such challenge.

5 ‘‘(5) Not later than November 1st of the year

6 in which such census is taken, the Secretary shall,

7 with respect to each challenge timely submitted

8 under paragraph (3)—

9 ‘‘(A) complete the measures required under

10 paragraph (4) with respect to such challenge;

11 and

12 ‘‘(B) notify the local governmental unit

13 that submitted such challenge as to the meas14 ures taken in response thereto.

15 ‘‘(c) As used in this section—

16 ‘‘(1) the term ‘decennial census’ means a decen17 nial census of population conducted under section

18 141(a); and

19 ‘‘(2) the term ‘local governmental unit’ means

20 a local unit of general purpose government as de21 fined by section 184, or its designee.’’.

22 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec23 tions for chapter 5 of title 13, United States Code, is
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1 amended by inserting after the item relating to section

2 141 the following:

‘‘142. Postcensus local review.’’.

Passed the House of Representatives April 14, 1999.

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL,

Clerk.