FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, JULY 24, 2000
Decennial Media Relations CB00-CS.23
301-457-3691/301-457-3620 (fax)
301-457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: 2000usa@census.gov
Statement of Census Bureau PIO Chief Maury Cagle Concerning
House Census Subcommittee Majority Staff Review
of Some Local Office Operations
Census 2000 is not over. Right now, more than 200,000 temporary
employees are double- checking the accuracy of the census across the
country. This work will continue through the summer. Any problems found,
or reported to us, will be quickly researched.
The Census Bureau has continuously monitored each of its 520 local
census offices since the beginning of the census, and has regularly
presented the results to the subcommittee. Based upon our own reports, the
subcommittee staff has formed premature conclusions while the census is
still underway. Some of these conclusions are mistaken. Some of the
problems described have already been corrected.
We are confident that we have a good census. Any local issues raised are
being professionally resolved by our best staff, managed by experienced
career experts, in cooperation with local officials.
The Census Bureau takes any report of irregularities seriously.
Regrettably, not all complaints to the Congressional staff and the Census
Monitoring Board have been forwarded to us for action. Unless we are
provided specific locations or individual cases to research, it's not
possible for us to correct errors and improve the count.
The overall emphasis of the Congressional staff memo is that some
offices finish early and some late. This is not surprising. A pattern of
differing work completion rates is normal and expected for any operation
as complex, large and diversified as the census; however, such a pattern
does not constitute fraud. Fraud is a very serious allegation, and, in
this case, undocumented.
We have today formally requested a copy of the Congressional staff
report. We are prepared to make public our own analysis of this report as
soon as it is provided.
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