Washington -
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment by Rep. Ted Poe (TX-2) to remove funding from H.R. 5326 for the enforcement of the American Community Survey. The legislation originally contained language that would make failure to comply with the survey a criminal offense, with the potential of prison.
“Judge Poe hits the nail on the head with this amendment. If citizens want to tell you how often they lose concentration or how many flush toilets are in their home, that's up to them. Frankly, I think it's none of the government's business.” Rep. Gowdy said.
He added, “To threaten prosecution for the failure to answer these questions is outrageous. The purpose of the census is to apportion the congressional seats. Accordingly, asking about the number of household members of voting age and the race of the household members for purposes of constitutional compliance are the only two questions the government needs the answer to.”
Rep. Trey Gowdy is the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives. On March 6, 2012 Rep. Gowdy held a hearing entitled The Pros and Cons of Making the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Voluntary. Rep. Gowdy is also a co-sponsor of the Poe Amendment on the American Community Survey.
