Census chief says agency will meet staffing goals

Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt told the House Government Reform Census Subcommittee Tuesday that planning for the 2000 decennial census continues to go smoothly. But he added that he wants to keep open communication with Congress if a crisis develops and congressional actions-and appropriations-are needed.

Prewitt said the Census Bureau has reached 1.2 million of the bureau's 2.4 million target number of qualified potential employees. The bureau hopes 3 million people will apply for census jobs, an applicant pool the bureau needs to fill 500,000 temporary positions.

"Hiring is progressing well and at this time we have no reason to believe we will not meet our goals," Prewitt said.

The bureau predicts that at least 61 percent of U.S. households will mail back their census forms. The bureau must send field enumerators to locate the rest. If fewer households return their forms, the bureau must spend more money and recruit more workers.

Asked to detail contingency plans, Prewitt said the bureau's response depends on two uncertainties.

"Can we recruit enough people to do the job? And the response rate? The two are linked," Prewitt said. "If there's a serious sliding of that response rate, it's got to be figured out in terms of our recruitment rate."

Prewitt said the bureau likely would have flexibility to cope with a 59 percent response rate, but said he would be "very anxious" at 57 percent.

Subcommittee ranking member Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., used the hearing to promote her bill to set up a $100 million contingency fund to help recruit workers if a crisis arises. Republicans have responded coolly.

Subcommittee Chairman Dan Miller, R-Fla., who also sits on the Appropriations Committee, reiterated past promises that Congress would provide "full funding" for the census-as it did when approving a $1.7 billion fiscal 2000 supplemental request. But he also made clear that his panel would exercise its oversight prerogative.

"It will not be sufficient for the bureau to come before Congress and simply ask for more money." Miller said. "The members of this body ... will want to know exactly how the money is to be spent as well as what went wrong with the original plan."

Prewitt pledged he would inform members immediately of major census problems and said he did not want to surprise the committee at a later date.

Responding to President Clinton's $545 million request Monday for FY2001, Prewitt said it was enough--and said he hopes members would act "as responsibly as they responded on the 2000 budget."