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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Census Reform Act 
of 2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. REPEAL AND CANCELLATION OF CERTAIN CENSUS 
ACTIVITIES UNDER TITLE 13, UNITED STATES 
CODE. 
(a) REPEAL
OF
CENSUS
RELATING
TO
AGRI-
CULTURE.—Chapter 3 of title 13, United States Code, is 
repealed. 
(b) REPEAL OF ECONOMIC CENSUS.—Subchapter I 
of chapter 5 of such title is repealed. 
(c) REPEAL OF MID-DECADE CENSUS.—Section 141 
of such title is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (d); 
(2) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(e) If in the administration of any program estab-
lished by or under Federal law which provides benefits to 
State or local governments or to other recipients, eligibility 
for or the amount of such benefits would (without regard 
to this subsection) be determined by taking into account 
data obtained in the most recent decennial census then 
in the determination of such eligibility or amount of bene-
fits the most recent data available from either the mid- 
decade or decennial census shall be used.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘and mid-dec-
ade’’ and ‘‘or (d)’’. 
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(d) REPEAL OF CENSUS OF GOVERNMENTS.—Sub-
chapter III of chapter 5 of title 13, United States Code, 
is repealed. 
(e) EFFECT ON CENSUS ACTIVITIES.—Beginning on 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Commerce and the Bureau of the Census— 
(1) are not authorized to carry out any activi-
ties with respect to— 
(A) a census conducted under chapter 3, 
subchapter I or subchapter III of chapter 5, or 
section 141(d) of such title, as in effect on the 
day before the date of the enactment of this 
Act; or 
(B) a survey (including the survey, con-
ducted by the Secretary of Commerce, which is 
commonly referred to as the ‘‘American Com-
munity Survey’’), sampling, or other question-
naire conducted under such title; 
(2) shall terminate any activities being carried 
out with respect to any such census, survey, sam-
pling, or questionnaire; and 
(3) may only conduct the decennial census of 
population, as authorized under section 141 of title 
13, United States Code. 
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(f) RESCISSION OF UNOBLIGATED AMOUNTS.—Any 
unobligated amounts available to carry out the American 
Community Survey or the following provisions of title 13, 
United States Code, are rescinded: 
(1) Section 141(d). 
(2) Chapter 3. 
(3) Subchapter I and subchapter III of chapter 
5. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON SURVEYS OR QUESTIONNAIRES; 
LIMITATIONS ON STATISTICS COLLECTED IN 
A DECENNIAL CENSUS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 1 of title 
13, United States Code, is amended by inserting after sec-
tion 5 the following: 
‘‘§ 5a. Prohibition on surveys or questionnaires; limi-
tation on statistics 
‘‘(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law— 
‘‘(1) the Secretary may not conduct any survey, 
sampling, or other questionnaire, and may only con-
duct a decennial census of population as authorized 
under section 141; and 
‘‘(2) any form used by the Secretary in such a 
decennial census may only collect information nec-
essary for the tabulation of total population by 
States.’’. 
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(b) REPEAL OF SURVEY, QUESTIONNAIRE, OR SAM-
PLING AUTHORITY.—Sections 182, 193, and 195 of title 
13, United States Code, are repealed. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 141 of 
such title is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Sec-
retary’’ and inserting ‘‘Consistent with the limita-
tions set forth in section 5a, the Secretary’’; and 
(2) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘, housing, 
and matters relating to population and housing’’. 
SEC. 4. REPEAL OF CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE ACT OF 1997. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Census of Agriculture Act of 
1997 (7 U.S.C. 2201 note; Public Law 105–113) is re-
pealed. 
(b) EFFECT ON 2013 CENSUS.—Beginning on the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agri-
culture— 
(1) is not authorized to carry out any activities 
with respect to the census required to be conducted 
in 2013 under the Census of Agriculture Act of 
1997 (7 U.S.C. 2201 note; Public Law 105–113), as 
in effect on the day before the date of the enactment 
of this Act; and 
(2) shall terminate any activities being carried 
out with respect to such census. 
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(c) RESCISSION OF UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—Any un-
obligated amounts available to carry out the Census of Ag-
riculture Act (7 U.S.C. 2201 note; Public Law 105–113) 
are rescinded. 
Æ 
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