I
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5084
To amend title 13, United States Code, to improve the accuracy of census
address lists, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 23, 1994
Mr. SAWYER (for himself, Mr. PETRI, Miss COLLINS of Michigan, and Mr.
MCCLOSKEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Post Office and Civil Service
A BILL
To amend title 13, United States Code, to improve the
accuracy of census address lists, 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 Address List
Improvement Act of 1994’’.
SEC. 2. ADDRESS INFORMATION REVIEWED BY LOCAL GOV-
ERNMENTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 13, United
States Code, is amended by adding after section 15 the
following new section:
‘‘§ 16. Address information reviewed by States and
local governments
‘‘(a) The Secretary, to assist efforts to ensure the ac-
curacy of censuses and surveys under this title, shall—
‘‘(1) publish standards defining the content and
structure of address information which States and
local units of general purpose government may sub-
mit to the Secretary to be used in developing a na-
tional address list;
‘‘(2)(A) develop and publish a timetable for the
Bureau to receive, review, and respond to submis-
sions of information under paragraph (1) before the
decennial census date; and
‘‘(B) provide for a response by the Bureau with
respect to such submissions in which the Bureau
specifies its determinations regarding such informa-
tion and the reasons for such determinations; and
‘‘(3) be subject to the review process developed
under section 3 of the Census Address List Improve-
ment Act of 1994 relating to responses pursuant to
paragraph (2).
‘‘(b)(1) The Secretary—
‘‘(A) may provide officials who are designated
as census liaisons by a local unit of general purpose
government with access to census address informa-
tion for the purpose of verifying the accuracy of the
address information of the Bureau for census and
survey purposes; and
‘‘(B) together with such access, should provide
an explanation of duties and obligations under this
title.
‘‘(2) Access under paragraph (1) shall be limited to
address information concerning addresses within the local
unit of general purpose government represented by the
census liaison or an adjacent local unit of general purpose
government.
‘‘(3) The Bureau should respond to each rec-
ommendation made by a census liaison concerning the ac-
curacy of address information, including the determination
(and reasons therefor) of the Bureau regarding each such
recommendation.
‘‘(4) For the purposes of paragraph (1), in a case
in which a local unit of general purpose government is
within another local unit of general purpose government
and is not independent of the enclosing unit, the census
liaison shall be designated by the local unit of general pur-
pose government which is within the enclosing local unit
of general purpose government.
‘‘(5) A census liaison may not use information made
available under paragraph (1) for any purpose other than
the purpose specified in paragraph (1).
‘‘(c) For the purposes of this section—
‘‘(1) the term ‘local unit of general purpose
government’ has the meaning given such term by
section 184(1) of this title; and
‘‘(2) the term ‘State’ includes the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and
any other territory or possession of the United
States.’’.
(b) CONFIDENTIALITY.—Section 9(a) of such title is
amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘or local government census li-
aison,’’ after ‘‘thereof,’’; and
(2) by inserting ‘‘or 16’’ after ‘‘section 8’’.
(c) PENALTY.—Section 214 of such title is amended
by inserting ‘‘or whoever, being or having been a census
liaison within the meaning of section 16 of this title,’’ after
‘‘title,’’ the second place it appears.
(d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
at the beginning of chapter 1 of such title is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 15 the
following:
‘‘16. Address information reviewed by local governments.’’.
SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF APPEALS PROCESS BY ADMINIS-
TRATOR OF THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION
AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS.
The Administrator of the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, acting through the Chief Statistician
and in consultation with the Bureau of the Census, shall
develop an appeals process for those States and local units
of general purpose government which desire to appeal de-
terminations of the Bureau of the Census pursuant to sec-
tion 16(a)(2) or (b)(3) of title 13, United States Code.
Appeals under such process shall be resolved before the
decennial census date. The Chief Statistician shall publish
the proposed appeals process for a period of public com-
ment before finalizing such process.
SEC. 4. AUTHORITY OF UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
TO SHARE ADDRESS LISTS.
Section 412 of title 39, United States Code, is
amended—
(1) by striking out ‘‘Except’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘law,’’ and inserting in lieu thereof
‘‘(a) Except as specifically provided by subsection
(b) or other law,’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(b) The Postal Service shall provide to the Secretary
of Commerce for use by the Bureau of the Census such
address information, address-related information, and
point of postal delivery information, including postal deliv-
ery codes, as may be determined by the Secretary to be
appropriate for any census or survey being conducted by
the Bureau of the Census. The provision of such informa-
tion under this subsection shall be in accordance with such
mutually agreeable terms and conditions, including
reimbursability, as the Postal Service and the Secretary
of Commerce shall deem appropriate.’’.
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