U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994
(P.L. 103-430)

The Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-430), approved on October 31, 1994, changed the Census Bureau's decennial census address list development procedures. The Act expanded the methods the Census Bureau could use to exchange information with tribal, state, and local governments in order to support its overall residential address list development and improvement efforts. The Act was primarily designed to improve the accuracy of address lists for the censuses conducted by the Census Bureau and household surveys through this partnership, and as such, the Act's provisions are directed to several areas:
  1. The publication by the Secretary of Commerce regarding standards for content and structure of address information by which tribal, state, and local governments might submit for developing a national address list;
  2. Rules governing tribal, state, and local governments access to census address information for the purpose of verifying accuracy of the information for census purposes;
  3. Development of an appeals process, and;
  4. An amendment to existing law that specifies that the Postal Service shall provide to the Secretary of Commerce for use by the Census Bureau such address information, as may be determined by the Secretary to be appropriate for any census or survey.

The Act authorized the Census Bureau to share residential individual addresses with officials of tribal, state, and local governments who agreed to pledges and conditions of confidentiality. Prior to the Census 2000, the Census Bureau was limited to providing block summary totals of addresses to tribal and local governments. The Census 2000 marked the first decennial where residential address lists could be shared with tribal and local governments, provided they signed the required confidentiality agreement.

You can find more information about P.L. 103-430 via the Internet at the following websites:

Library of Congress detailed information on H.R. 5084, which later became P.L. 103-430 (under "Find more legislation" select "Public Laws," select "103" for the Congress, select the range "103-401 - 103-450", scroll down to "430".)

Census Bureau overview of the changes to Title 13 as a result of P.L. 103-430





2010 Census LUCA program

2008 Census Dress Rehearsal LUCA program

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division,
Local Geographic Partnerships Branch
Created: June 14, 2006