Articles

12Jul

Census funding threatened by amendments in Appropriations Committee today

Today, the House Appropriations Committee will consider amendments to the Fiscal Year 2012 Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations legislation, which already cut about 25% from Census funding compared to FY11. MRA expressed our support for restoration of the Census' funding in a joint letter with our Census Project allies yesterday to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee.

A couple of the amendments expected today would impact the Census Bureau:

One amendment to be offered would cut 0.3% of spending across the board for all programs in the legislation in order to use the funds to increase outlays for the Office of Justice Programs instead.
Rep. John Carter (R-TX) will offer an amendment to reduce Census Bureau funds by $86 million and the Legal Services Corporation by $136 million, in order to increase funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).

MRA has already contacted Rep. Carter's office in order to express our concerns. Unfortunately, despite widespread concerns about the ineffectiveness of the SCAAP program, the optics of increasing funding to deal with illegal immigration are far better for most Congressmen than appropriately funding the important functions of the Census.

About the Author

Howard Fienberg

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.