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Census Clarification and Privacy Act
To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the inclusion of a statement within the decennial census questionnaire and the American Community Survey regarding certain response requirements, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill requires the Census Bureau to include a statement on the front of decennial census and American Community Survey questionnaires informing respondents that they are constitutionally required only to provide the number of people in their residence, and that all other questions are optional. The statement must be printed conspicuously on the front of each questionnaire. The bill also limits penalties for census non-response to cases where an individual refuses or willfully fails to answer questions about the number of household residents, or provides false answers to those questions. Penalties no longer apply to refusing to answer other questions on the census or survey.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Akin, W. Todd [R-MO-2] (R-MO)
8 cosponsors
Actions (3)
- May 26, 2010 Referred to the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives. · house
- Apr 15, 2010 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. · house
- Apr 15, 2010 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 15, 2010
Mr. Akin (for himself, Mr. Neugebauer, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Griffith, Mr. Bonner, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Posey, and Mr. Bilbray) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
A BILL
To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the inclusion of a statement within the decennial census questionnaire and the American Community Survey regarding certain response requirements, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Census Clarification and Privacy Act”.
SEC. 2. STATEMENT ON REQUIRED RESPONSES TO THE DECENNIAL CENSUS AND THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY.
(a) In General.—Section 141 of title 13, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
“(g)(1) In conducting a decennial census under subsection (a), the Secretary shall, on each questionnaire used in such census, include the following statement: ‘Constitutionally, in responding to this questionnaire, you are only required to provide the number of individuals living in your residence. Answers to all other questions contained within this questionnaire are optional’.
“(2) The statement required under paragraph (1) shall be placed on the front of each questionnaire in a conspicuous manner.”.
(b) American Community Survey.—
(1) In general.—The survey conducted by the Secretary of Commerce under title 13, United States Code, commonly referred to as the “American Community Survey”, shall contain on the front of such survey the following statement: “Constitutionally, in responding to this survey, you are only required to provide the number of individuals living in your residence. Answers to all other questions contained within this survey are optional”.
(2) Location of statement.—The statement required under paragraph (1) shall be placed on the front of such survey in a conspicuous manner.
SEC. 3. APPLICATION OF PENALTIES.
Section 221 of title 13, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(d) The penalties described under subsections (a) and (b) shall only apply to an individual who—
“(1) refuses or willfully neglects to answer a question, submitted to such individual in connection with any census or survey provided for by sections 141 or 193 of this title, regarding the number of individuals living in such individual’s residence; or
“(2) willfully gives a false answer to any question submitted to such individual in connection with any census or survey provided for by sections 141 or 193 of this title.”. <all>
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