Bill Pascrell: “the 1990 Census was the first in history to be less accurate than its predecessor. It missed millions of Americans…”

“the 1990 Census was the first in history to be less accurate than its predecessor. It missed millions of Americans, predominantly children and minorities. Virtually every expert agrees that the way to get the most accurate census possible is by using modern scientific methods to supplement the traditional head count. The Census Bureau's plan will not only produce the most accurate census, it will save literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Using the methods employed in 1990 will cost close to a billion more dollars and still miss millions of Americans. We cannot let this happen. Funding the Census Bureau for only 6 months will cripple its ability to adequately plan and prepare for the largest peacetime mobilization undertaken by the U.S. Government. We must take the guessing out of the census. For these reasons, we must today support the Mollohan amendment which strikes the provisions that restrict funding to the Census Bureau as they prepare for the 2000 census.”