Sean Patrick Maloney: “last week one of my colleagues came to the House floor and said that the planning for the 2000 census was done in…”

“last week one of my colleagues came to the House floor and said that the planning for the 2000 census was done in secret. I am here today to put the facts on the table so that the American people can decide for themselves. Designing the 2000 census has been one of the most public processes in the history of the census. Dr. Barbara Bryant, the director of the Census Bureau for President George Bush, began the process in 1991 shortly after the conclusion of the 1990 census. She took over the Census Bureau less than 4 months before the 1990 census began, and she knew that it could be improved. The results from the 1990 census reinforced that decision. In partnership with Congress, Dr. Bryant began the process that resulted in the census design we are debating today. To achieve a better census design, Congress turned to the National Academy of Sciences. The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) testified before the House Subcommittee on the Census in 1991 and said there is a need for 'an independent review of the census that is fundamental in nature, a back-to-basics, zero-based study that begins with no preconceived notions about what we collect or how we collect it. For that reason, I have pursued the idea of having the National Academy of Sciences conduct such a review. The Academy is credible, experienced, and more importantly, independent.…”