II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2578 

To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Commerce 

to provide advanced notice to Congress before changing any questions 

on the decennial census, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 20, 2018 

Mr. SCHATZ (for himself, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, and Mr. PETERS) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Commerce to provide advanced notice to Congress before changing any questions on the decennial 

census, 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; FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘2020 Census Improving Data and Enhanced Accuracy 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘2020 Census IDEA Act’’. 

7 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The decennial census was embedded in arti2 cle I of the Constitution of the United States by the 

3 founders of the United States to measure the 

4 progress of the country and help chart its future. 

5 (2) The 2020 decennial census will, for the dec6 ade to follow, shape the reapportionment of the 

7 House of Representatives and the drawing of thou8 sands of State and local political jurisdictions. 

9 (3) Nearly $700,000,000,000 in Federal assist10 ance to State and local communities every year is in11 formed by the results of the decennial census. 

12 (4) The President and Congress seek to make 

13 the 2020 decennial census the most complete, accu14 rate, and fair decennial census in the history of the 

15 United States. 

16 (5) The decennial census is the largest peace17 time mobilization undertaken by the Federal Gov18 ernment. 

19 (6) Any late, untested changes to the oper20 ational design of the decennial census will introduce 

21 great risk to the success of, the accuracy of, and 

22 public cooperation with the decennial census. 


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1 SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DE2 CENNIAL CENSUS. 

3 Section 141 of title 13, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (f)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1), by adding ‘‘and’’ at 

7 the end; 

8 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

9 and inserting a period; and 

10 (C) by striking paragraph (3); 

11 (2) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub12 section (h); 

13 (3) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(g) LIMITATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) NOTICE TO CONGRESS OF OPERATIONAL

17 DESIGN, SUBJECTS, TYPES OF INFORMATION, AND

18 QUESTIONS.—In the 2020 decennial census of popu19 lation and each decennial census thereafter, the Sec20 retary may not— 

21 ‘‘(A) with respect to the census, implement 

22 any major operational design that has not been 

23 researched, studied, and tested for a period of 

24 not less than 3 years before the date on which 

25 the applicable census occurs; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) include on the questionnaire for the 

2 census any subject, type of information, or 

3 question that was not submitted to Congress in 

4 accordance with subsection (f). 

5 ‘‘(2) BIANNUAL REPORTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not 

7 later than 90 days after the date of enactment 

8 of this subsection and biannually thereafter, the 

9 Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 

10 that— 

11 ‘‘(i) describes each component of the 

12 operational plan for the subsequent decen13 nial census of population; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) includes a detailed statement on 

15 the status of all research, testing, and op16 erations that are part of the Bureau’s com17 prehensive plan for the decennial census. 

18 ‘‘(B) INTERNET PUBLICATION.—On the 

19 date on which the Secretary submits a report 

20 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 

21 publish the report on the public Internet 

22 website of the Bureau. 

23 ‘‘(3) GAO ANALYSIS.—Before the date on 

24 which a decennial census occurs, the Comptroller 

25 General of the United States shall determine and reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:55 Mar 27, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2578.IS S2578

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1 port to Congress on whether the subjects, types of 

2 information, and questions to be included in the cen3 sus have been adequately researched, studied, and 

4 tested to the same degree as in previous decennial 

5 censuses. 

6 ‘‘(4) APPLICABILITY.—Nothing in this sub7 section shall be construed to affect— 

8 ‘‘(A) the mid-decade census conducted 

9 under subsection (d); or 

10 ‘‘(B) the survey conducted by the Sec11 retary that is commonly referred to as the 

12 ‘American Community Survey’.’’; and 

13 (4) in subsection (h), as so redesignated, by in14 serting ‘‘DEFINITION.—’’ before ‘‘As used in’’. 

Æ 


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