69–006

106TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 106–97

MEASURES TO IMPROVE MARKETING, OUTREACH, AND

PROMOTION OF THE 2000 CENSUS

APRIL 19, 1999.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of

the Union and ordered to be printed

Mr. BURTON of Indiana, from the Committee on Government

Reform, submitted the following

REPORT

together with

MINORITY VIEWS

[To accompany H.R. 1010]

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

The Committee on Government Reform, to whom was referred

the bill (H.R. 1010) to improve participation in the 2000 decennial

census by increasing the amounts available to the Bureau of the

Census for marketing, promotion, and outreach, having considered

the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

CONTENTS

Page

I. Summary of Legislation ................................................................................ 2

II. Background and Need for the Legislation ................................................... 2

III. Legislative Hearings and Committee Actions ............................................. 2

IV Committee Hearings and Written Testimony ............................................. 3

V. Explanation of the Bill .................................................................................. 3

VI. Compliance with Rule XIII ........................................................................... 3

VII. Budget Analysis and Projections .................................................................. 3

VIII. Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office ..................................... 3

IX. Specific Constitutional Authority for This Legislation ............................... 5

X. Committee Recommendation ........................................................................ 5

XI. Congressional Accountability Act; Public Law 104–1 ................................. 5

XII. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act; Public Law 104–4, Section 423 ............ 5

XIII. Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) Section 5(b) .................. 5

The amendment is as follows:
2

At the end of the bill add the following new section:

SEC. 3. USE OF FUNDS FOR CONTRACTS WITH CERTAIN ENTITIES.

The Bureau of the Census shall make every effort to utilize funds

authorized under section 2 to contract with entities that have a

demonstrated record of making an impact through marketing, promotion, or outreach campaigns on urban and rural communities

that have historically been undercounted by censuses, including

communities with significant numbers of individuals—

(1) of color;

(2) with an income less than the poverty-line; or

(3) who have limited proficiency in English.

I. SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION

H.R. 1010 authorizes $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 to be appropriated to the Bureau of the Census to carry out promotional,

outreach, and marketing activities in connection with the 2000 decennial census.

II. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

One major improvement of the 2000 Census relative to the 1990

Census is the introduction of a paid advertising campaign. Previously, the only public advertisements reminding inhabitants of

the importance of being counted in the census were public service

announcements (PSAs). The Census Bureau has hired Young and

Rubicam, Inc. to conduct the campaign and the efforts will be

aimed at increasing mail response.

For FY ’99, the President requested $51 million for marketing,

communications and partnerships. Congress feels that the President’s request (FY ’99) is not sufficient for a nationwide campaign.

For instance, the National Youth Anti-Drug media campaign was

funded at $198 million in 1998. The President’s request is insufficient to successfully inform the public of the importance of the census and Congressional action is needed to increase funds available

to promote the 2000 Census.

III. LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS AND COMMITTEE ACTIONS

H.R. 1010 was introduced on March 4, 1999 by the Honorable

Dan Miller (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Census,

Government Reform Committee. The bill was referred to the Committee on Government Reform on March 4, 1999 and then referred

to the Subcommittee on the Census on March 11, 1999. The Subcommittee held a legislative hearing on March 2, 1999. A markup

was held by the Subcommittee on March 11, 1999. Mr. Davis (DIL) offered an amendment to the bill which would require the Bureau of the Census to make every effort to utilize funds to contract

with entities that represent undercounted communities of color

with income less than the poverty-line or who have limited proficiency in English. Mr. Souder (R-IN) offered and withdrew an

amendment to the amendment offered by Mr. Davis (D-IL). The

amendment offered by Mr. Davis (D-IL) was defeated by voice vote.

The measure was ordered favorably reported to the full Committee

by a voice vote.
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On March 17, 1999, the Full Committee met to consider the bill.

Mr. Davis (D-IL) offered an amendment to the bill which would require the Bureau of the Census to make every effort to utilize

funds to contract with entities that have a demonstrated record of

making an impact on undercounted communities with significant

numbers of individuals of color, with incomes less than the povertyline, or who have limited proficiency in English. The amendment

offered by Mr. Davis (D-IL) passed by voice vote. The committee

approved the bill, as amended, by voice vote. The committee then

favorably reported the bill, as amended, to the House by voice vote.

IV. COMMITTEE HEARINGS AND WRITTEN TESTIMONY

The committee held no hearings and received no written testimony on H.R. 1010. The subcommittee on the Census held a hearing on March 2, 1999, entitled Examining the America Counts

Today (ACT) Initiatives to Enhance Traditional Enumeration

Methods, where Kenneth Prewitt, Director of the Census Bureau,

supported a more extensive advertising campaign.

V. EXPLANATION OF THE BILL

Section 1. This section lists the following Congressional findings:

(1) A national media campaign is essential to increase the mail

response for the 2000 decennial census.

(2) Promotional events will emphasize the importance of participating in the census, and will motivate people to respond.

(3) More resources are needed to ensure the Bureau of the Census is able to carry out an effective marketing, promotion, and outreach campaign, especially in the hardest-to-count communities.

Sec. 2. This section authorizes $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2000

to carry out the purposes of this Act.

VI. COMPLIANCE WITH RULE XIII

Pursuant to rule XIII, clause 3(c)(1) of the Rules of the House of

Representatives, under the authority of rule X, clause 2(b)(1) and

clause 3(e), the results and findings from this committee oversight

activities are incorporated in the bill and this report.

VII. BUDGET ANALYSIS AND PROJECTIONS

The budget analysis and projections required by section 308(a) of

the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 are contained in the estimate

of the Congressional Budget Office.

VIII. COST ESTIMATE OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE

U.S. CONGRESS,

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE,

Washington, DC, March 25, 1999.

Hon. DAN BURTON, Chairman, Committee on Government Reform,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1010, a bill to improve

participation in the 2000 decennial census by increasing the
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amounts available to the Bureau of the Census for marketing, promotion, and outreach.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark Hadley.

Sincerely,

BARRY B. ANDERSON

(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).

Enclosure.

H.R. 1010.—A bill to improve participation in the 2000 decennial

census by increasing the amounts available to the Bureau of the

Census for marketing, promotion, and outreach

Summary: H.R. 1010 would authorize the appropriation of $300

million in fiscal year 2000 for promotional, outreach, and marketing activities in connection with the 2000 census. The bill also

would require the Bureau of the Census to contract with entities

that have successfully reached those communities that have been

undercounted by past censuses.

Assuming appropriation of the authorized amount, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1010 would cost $300 million over

the 2000–2001 period. H.R. 1010 would not affect direct spending

or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply.

H.R. 1010 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)

and would impose no costs, on state, local, or tribal governments.

Estimated Cost to the Federal Government: For purposes of this

estimate, CBO assumes that H.R. 1010 will be enacted by the end

of fiscal year 1999. The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 1010

is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall

within budget function 370 (commerce and housing credit).

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars—

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Spending Under Current Law:

Budget Authority 1 ........................................................................... 101 0 0 0 0 0

Estimated Outlays ........................................................................... 85 24 0 0 0 0

Proposed Changes:

Authorization Level .......................................................................... 0 300 0 0 0 0

Estimated Outlays ........................................................................... 0 276 24 0 0 0

Spending Under H.R. 1010:

Authorization Level 1 ........................................................................ 101 300 0 0 0 0

Estimated Outlays ........................................................................... 85 300 24 0 0 0

1 The 1999 level is the amount that the Bureau of the Census dedicated to marketing, communications, and partnerships out of the $1.2

billion appropriated for periodic censuses and programs for that year.

Basis of Estimate: Based on historical spending patterns and information from the Bureau of the Census, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1010 would cost $276 million in 2000 and $24 million in 2001, assuming appropriation of the authorized amount.

In addition to the costs cited above, H.R. 1010 could affect spending by the bureau in two other ways, but CBO cannot estimate

their effects. The bureau plans to mail every household a questionnaire on April 1, 2000. H.R. 1010 could raise public awareness of

the census, thereby increasing the rate of response by mail. Thus,

the bill could reduce the costs of having temporary employees tele-
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phone or visit households that did not respond to the questionnaire. According to the bureau, a 1 percent increase in the response

rate would save $25 million in costs for obtaining responses. However, with a higher response rate, the bureau would also incur additional costs to process more questionnaires. On balance, CBO expects that these two additional effects would result in some net

savings because processing questionnaires is less expensive than

calling or visiting households.

Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.

Intergovernmental and Private-Sector Impact: H.R. 1010 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined

in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.

Estimate Prepared by: Mark Hadley.

Estimate Approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

IX. SPECIFIC CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY FOR THIS LEGISLATION

Clause 3 of Article 1, section 2 and clauses 2 and clauses 1 and

18 of Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution grant Congress the

power to enact this law.

X. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

On March 17, 1999, a quorum being present, the Committee on

Government Reform ordered the bill favorably reported.

XI. CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACT; PUBLIC LAW 104–1

The original Act does not apply to the House of Representatives

or to the Senate, thus H.R. 1010 does not apply to Congress.

XII. UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT; PUBLIC LAW 104–4, SECTION

423

The Committee finds that the legislation does not impose any

Federal mandates within the meaning of section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (PL 104–4).

XIII. FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT (5 U.S.C. APP.) SECTION 5(B)

The Committee finds that section 5(b) of Title 5 App., United

States Code, is not applicable because this legislation does not authorize the establishment of any advisory committee.
(6)

1 Young and Rubican, Testimony before the Joint Meeting on the Census Advisory Committees

on the African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, and

Hispanic Populations, Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations and the Commerce Secretary’s 2000 Census Advisory Committee (October 26, 1998).

MINORITY VIEWS ON H.R. 1010

H.R. 1010 would authorize $300 million for promotion, outreach,

and marketing activities connected with the 2000 Census. We support this bill. As Census Bureau Director, Dr. Kenneth Prewitt, has

stated, ‘‘the advertising and promotion budgets will need to be increased.’’

We are especially pleased that the Davis Amendment was adopted. It states that the Bureau of the Census should contract with

entities that have a demonstrated record of making an impact

through marketing, promotion, or outreach campaigns on urban

and rural communities that have historically been undercounted by

censuses, including communities with significant numbers of individuals of color, with an income less than the poverty-line, or who

have limited proficiency in English.

Although H.R. 1010 is a step in the right direction, it is unlikely

to have a major impact on improving census accuracy. Advertising

is unlikely to reach the hardest to count sectors of the population.

The only way to reduce the racial differential undercount is to use

modern statistical methods. Even Young and Rubicon, the firm contracted to conduct the advertising campaign, has said that the purpose of advertising is to create census awareness and increase the

mail response rate, not reach the hard to count.1

HENRY A. WAXMAN.

TOM LANTOS.

BOB WISE.

MAJOR R. OWENS.

EDOLPHUS TOWNS.

PAUL E. KANJORSKI.

PATSY T. MINK.

BERNARD SANDERS.

CAROLYN B. MALONEY.

ELEANOR H. NORTON.

CHAKA FATTAH.

ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS.

DENNIS J. KUCINICH.

ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH.

DANNY K. DAVIS.

JOHN F. TIERNEY.

JIM TURNER.

TOM ALLEN.

HAROLD E. FORD, JR.

JAN SCHAKOWSKY.

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