When a Congressional committee pulled legislation from their meeting agenda for March 12 that would have gutted the American Community Survey (ACS), some called it a victory, but we may have only bought ourselves more time.
We discovered late last week that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee planned to vote on H.R. 1078, legislation from Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX-02) that would effectively make responding to the ACS a voluntary option. The bill would remove the mandatory response requirement from all but four ACS questions (name, contact information, date of response, and number of people living or staying at the same address).
The ongoing ACS, which replaced the traditional Census long form in 2005, is sent to 3.5 million addresses every year and collects many useful demographic data — including education, occupation, income, ancestry/ethnicity, disability status, English-language proficiency, housing type and age, health insurance coverage, and commuting patterns — to an extent unavailable from any other source. Most importantly, the ACS provides the baseline for private and public sector survey, opinion and marketing research by ensuring the accuracy and proper weighting of statistical samples for the research profession in the U.S.
More than a few Republican members of the committee are curent or past cosponsors of H.R. 1078. Nearly all of them, like most of the GOP caucus, voted in favor of an amendment to a budget bill back in 2012 that would have similarly eviscerated the ACS had that legislation made it through the Senate.
MRA and our Census Project coalition allies went into overdrive on the Poe bill, reaching out to the committee staff, rank and file committee members, and House leadership. MRA spent much of Friday and Monday on the hill. By the end of the day Monday, we received word that H.R. 1078 had been pulled from the agenda.
Unfortunately, the committee will likely bring the bill back for a vote before too long. That is one reason that the Census Project coalition letter in opposition to H.R. 1078 was still sent on Tuesday. MRA is stepping up our lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill and seeking alternative means to assuage concerns about the ACS.
About the Author
Based in Washington, DC, Howard is the Insights Association's lobbyist for the marketing research and data analytics industry, focusing primarily on consumer privacy and data security, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), tort reform, and the funding and integrity of the decennial Census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Howard has more than two decades of public policy experience. Before the Insights Association, he worked in Congress as senior legislative staffer for then-Representatives Christopher Cox (CA-48) and Cliff Stearns (FL-06). He also served more than four years with a science policy think tank, working to improve the understanding of scientific and social research and methodology among journalists and policymakers.
Howard is also co-director of The Census Project, a 900+ member coalition in support of a fair and accurate Census and ACS.
He has also served previously on the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics and and the Association of Government Relations Professionals.
Howard has an MA International Relations from the University of Essex in England and a BA Honors Political Studies from Trent University in Canada, and has obtained the Certified Association Executive (CAE), Professional Lobbying Certificate (PLC) and the Public Policy Certificate (PPC).
When not running advocacy for the Insights Association, Howard enjoys hockey, NFL football, sci-fi and horror movies, playing with his dog, and spending time with family and friends.