document: Public officials throughout California have condemned a U.S. Senate vote Thursday to exclude illegal aliens from the 1990 census , saying the action will shortchange California in Congress and possibly deprive the state of millions of dollars of federal aid for medical emergency services and other programs for poor people . `` I think it 's an outrageous piece of legislation and probably unconstitutional , '' Assemblyman Peter Chacon said Friday . Chacon , a San Diego Democrat , is the chairman of the Assembly 's Elections , Reapportionment and Constitutional Amendments Committee . At the same time , the Senate 's action has created great confusion and stirred hopes , especially among urban Democrats , that it will be overturned by the House of Representatives . Major Impact If it becomes law , the Senate 's action could have a major impact on California and other states where the influx of illegal aliens significantly boosts the population and , thus , can affect the size of congressional delegations and the amount of federal aid that is doled out . With an estimated population of about 28 million people , California is thought to have at least 50 % of the nation 's 3 million to 8 million illegal aliens . Authorities on reapportionment have widely predicted that California would gain five to seven congressional seats as a result of population gains made during the last decade . But if illegal aliens are not counted , the experts say the state would not get one of the anticipated seats . `` It 's hard to tell exactly how many congressional seats California will lose . But we could have gotten six or seven additional seats and this could cost us one or two . It 's possible , '' said state Sen. Milton Marks , a San Francisco Democrat who chairs the Senate 's Elections and Reapportionment Committee . Loss of Funds Feared Jesse R. Huff , the state 's financial director , said the state could lose as much as $ 300 million in federal aid that is allocated on the basis of population as determined by census counts . Los Angeles County officials said the measure could cut off federal funds for emergency medical services for illegal aliens . In the past , about $ 80 million annually in such services for illegal aliens has been paid out , with about half of that amount paid in Los Angeles County , according to Mark Tajima , a legislative analyst employed by the county 's chief administrative officer . Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn described the Senate 's vote as an attempt by `` callous , self-serving interests in Washington , D.C. , to deny representation and financial resources to minorities and underprivileged in our cities . '' Hahn 's office said the city could lose at least $ 20 million in federal aid over the next 10 years -- money that goes for child care , housing rehabilitation , drug counseling and services for homeless people . Immigration Law Overhaul The measure passed by the Senate was part of a larger overhaul of the nation 's immigration laws that , if it becomes law , would place an annual cap of 630,000 immigrants for each of the next three years and make room for more residents of Western Europe . The Senate bill is expected to face tough opposition in the House , where states such as California , New York and Illinois with large alien populations have many votes . Moreover , a federal court in Pittsburgh ruled earlier this year that excluding illegal aliens from the census would be unconstitutional . But even if the Senate 's action were to become law , it is not clear how much impact it would have on federal aid . `` I think the effect is going to be minimal , '' said Michael Myers , counsel to the House subcommittee on immigration and refugee affairs . Myers said the measure would prohibit aliens from receiving direct federal benefits , such as Social Security payments . But he maintained that such ineligibility is already written into a number of federal programs . Myers said that most of the assistance that states and cities now receive comes in the form of block grants that do not qualify as direct financial aid and , therefore , would not be affected . Puzzled by Action Still , many local officials remain puzzled by the Senate 's action . Tajima said he was not sure whether programs such as foster care for abused and neglected children or Supplemental Security Income for aged , blind or disabled people would be vulnerable . `` They all involve direct payments by the county of federal money , '' he said . In Orange County , with the second-largest illegal alien population in the state , officials warned that any effort by the Census Bureau to identify illegals would promote `` fear and intimidation '' among recent immigrants , both legal and illegal . Any such effort , officials said , would discourage people from participating in the census and even further reduce official population figures . `` They counted them in 1980 , and now for them to say they wo n't count them in 1990 is ludicrous , '' said Angelo Doti , director of financial assistance for the Orange County Social Services Agency . `` The fact is they are here . They 're going to stay here . They pay taxes and are going to avail themselves of our services . We need to know the numbers . To not count them is to close our eyes , '' Doti said . Times staff writers Jerry Gillam and Marcida Dodson contributed to this article .
extractive_keyphrases: illegal aliens 1990 census congressional seats census counts census bureau california federal aid
abstractive_keyphrases: u.s. senate vote