III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 57 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the census surveys and the information 

derived from those surveys are crucial to the national welfare. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 2, 2012 

Mr. ROCKEFELLER submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that the census surveys 

and the information derived from those surveys are crucial to the national welfare. 

Whereas the American Community Survey (referred to in this 

preamble as the ‘‘ACS’’) was launched in 2005 during 

the Administration of President George W. Bush and has 

since been funded by Congress as an innovation that the 

Bureau of the Census has been able to use in place of 

the decennial census long form; 

Whereas the ACS provides the United States, States, counties, cities, towns, neighborhoods, and other areas with 

annual data that was formerly available only once every 

10 years; 

Whereas the Federal Government relies on the ACS— 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•SCON 57 IS 

(1) to produce annual population estimates for the 

United States, States, metropolitan areas, counties, cities, and other areas; 

(2) to produce annual measures of total personal income and per capita income for the United States, 

States, metropolitan areas, and counties; 

(3) to define metropolitan areas; 

(4) to determine compliance with the Voting Rights 

Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 et seq.); and 

(5) to fairly distribute more than $450,000,000,000 

in Federal domestic assistance to States and other areas, 

including through the setting of the formulas for Federal 

reimbursement to States for Medicaid expenditures; 

Whereas the ACS is the only source of rural and small-area 

economic and demographic data of sufficient reliability to 

allow entrepreneurs, business owners, and local government planners, among others, to make informed decisions 

on where to invest, build, create jobs, and maintain or 

improve infrastructure; 

Whereas Congress requires the information collected through 

the ACS in order to provide adequate oversight of a substantial number of executive departments, agencies, and 

programs; 

Whereas the citizens of the United States require the information collected through the ACS for each State and 

congressional district in order to hold their Members of 

Congress accountable; 

Whereas, since the founding of the United States, Congress 

has recognized the value and mandated the use of the decennial census as a means to gather information that informs public policy and measures the progress of the 

United States; 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•SCON 57 IS 

Whereas the congressional tradition of the decennial census 

was initiated by the efforts of United States Representative James Madison, the ‘‘Father of the Constitution’’, 

who argued on the floor of the House of Representatives 

that Congress, in considering the Act entitled ‘‘An Act 

providing for the enumeration of the Inhabitants of the 

United States’’ (commonly known as the ‘‘Census Act of 

1790’’; 1 Stat. 101, chapter 2), ‘‘had now an opportunity 

of obtaining the most useful information for those who 

should hereafter be called upon to legislate for their 

country if this bill was extended so as to embrace some 

other objects besides the bare enumeration of the inhabitants; it would enable them to adapt the public measures 

to the particular circumstances of the community. In 

order to know the various interests of the United States, 

it was necessary that the description of the several classes into which the community was divided, should be accurately known; on this knowledge the legislature might 

proceed to make a proper provision for the agricultural, 

commercial and manufacturing interests . . . in due proportion’’; 

Whereas Representative James Madison also said, ‘‘This kind 

of information all legislatures had wished for; but this 

kind of information had never been obtained in any country’’; that he wished, therefore, ‘‘to avail himself of the 

present opportunity of accomplishing so valuable a purpose’’; and ‘‘[i]f the plan was pursued in taking every future census, it would give [Congress] an opportunity of 

marking the progress of the society, and distinguishing 

the growth of every interest.’’; 

Whereas Vice President Thomas Jefferson, the ‘‘Father of 

the Declaration of Independence’’, wrote Congress as 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•SCON 57 IS 

president of the American Philosophical Society that the 

consideration by Congress of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act 

providing for the second Census or enumeration of the 

Inhabitants of the United States’’ (commonly known as 

the ‘‘Census Act of 1800’’; 2 Stat. 11, chapter 12) offered ‘‘an occasion of great value, and not otherwise to 

be obtained, of ascertaining sundry facts highly important to society . . . [and] presenting a more detailed view 

of the inhabitants of the United States, under several different aspects,’’ including age (so as to be able to measure life expectancy), citizenship (so as to be able to determine the relative contributions of births and immigration 

to population growth), and the occupation of free males 

(so as to be able ‘‘to ascertain more completely the 

causes which influence life and health, and furnish a curious and useful document of the distribution of society in 

these States, and of the conditions and vocations of our 

fellow-citizens . . .’’); 

Whereas diverse presidents throughout the 19th and 20th 

centuries, such as John Quincy Adams, Martin Van 

Buren, William McKinley, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin 

Roosevelt, asked for and received from Congress permission to expand the scope of census questions unrelated to 

enumeration; 

Whereas the Economic Census is required by law to be conducted every 5 years, provides the most authoritative and 

comprehensive data about United States businesses, and 

provides the foundation for key economic indicators, such 

as the gross domestic product; 

Whereas, in response to the recommendations of the Intensive 

Review Committee (also known as the ‘‘Watkins Commission’’), Congress enacted the recommendations into law 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•SCON 57 IS 

in 1954, thereby providing for quinquennial censuses of 

manufacturing, mineral industries, and other businesses; 

Whereas the finding of the Watkins Commission that 

‘‘[w]ithout these census records, it would not be possible 

to construct or interpret this system of economic indicators. Business executives, farmers, labor leaders, professional men, scholars, scientists, government officials, and 

administrators in all phases of our society are dependent 

on census records or on economic indicators based on 

census records.’’ is as true today as it was in 1954; 

Whereas the Economic Census— 

(1) provides the foundation for key annual, quarterly, and monthly Federal economic indicators, including 

the gross domestic product, industrial production, labor 

productivity, manufacturing and services industry activity, producer price indices, research and development expenditures, commodity flows, and employer-sponsored 

health insurance coverage; 

(2) provides the basis for Federal macroeconomic 

and budget projections; and 

(3) informs Federal trade, competitiveness, and entrepreneurship policies; 

Whereas single firms rely on the Economic Census to compare their operations to industry averages, identify markets, and inform decisions on business location, capital 

investment, product research and development, and marketing strategies; 

Whereas the information collected through the Economic 

Census affords the private and public sectors the ability 

to make good decisions and use resources in a way such 

that the entire country is more efficient and better able 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•SCON 57 IS 

to compete in the world economy, thereby allowing the 

United States to maintain a high standard of living; 

Whereas what is today called the Economic Census began as 

the ‘‘census of manufactures’’ in 1810; 

Whereas the census of manufactures (as well as the census 

of agriculture) became a regular feature of census taking 

in 1840 and has remained such ever since; 

Whereas household and business responses to census surveys 

allow national, State, and local officials to make informed 

decisions, just as James Madison envisioned, providing 

timely and accurate statistics even for small localities; 

Whereas, historically, Congress has followed the precedent set 

by all previous Congresses in supporting and directing 

the collection of a range of information in the ACS and 

the Economic Census to guide its own deliberations and 

consideration of policies; 

Whereas Federal courts have consistently upheld the constitutionality of including questions unrelated to enumeration in the decennial census and requiring answers 

to such questions; and 

Whereas Congress has mandated and the Department of 

Commerce has successfully implemented strict protection 

of the confidentiality of responses: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) encourages the people of the United States 

4 to fulfill their civic duty and follow the law by re5 sponding to all census surveys conducted by the Bu6 reau of the Census; and 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•SCON 57 IS 

1 (2) strongly encourages the Bureau of the Cen2 sus— 

3 (A) to provide United States households 

4 and businesses with information regarding the 

5 community, economic, and fiscal benefits to be 

6 gained from participation in the American Com7 munity Survey and the Economic Census; 

8 (B) to use the most current methodologies 

9 and technologies to reduce any burden of re10 sponding to the American Community Survey 

11 and the Economic Census; and 

12 (C) to continue, as the Bureau of the Cen13 sus has done throughout its history, to innovate 

14 its methods, processes, and products, and thus 

15 maintain the world-class standards that have 

16 made the Bureau of the Census an inter17 national leader among statistical agencies. 

Æ 


pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS