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1 1 (June 2, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govelvi0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing h legisLaiv e dbt sine 1914 0 June 2, 2023 The U.S. Census Bureau Overview The United States Census Bureau is a federal agency that provides statistical data about the nation's people and economy. Article I, Section 2, clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution mandates a decennial census count of the population. The first count was conducted in 1790. Decennial census data are used to determine allocation of funding for numerous federal programs and for the reapportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, among other purposes. In addition to the decennial census, the Census Bureau collects and publishes data on several other population characteristics and produces relevant statistical products. The bureau also releases publicly available analyses throughout the year on the surveys it conducts. Congress has historically been interested in Census Bureau funding, oversight, data collection, and data usage. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2020 decennial census, as well as other issues related to the decennial census, were also matters of recent congressional interest. Organizational H istory In 1902, the Census Office became a permanent organization housed in the Department of Interior, and in 1903 it was moved to the newly established Department of Commerce and Labor. Subsequently in 1913, the Census Bureau moved to the Department of Commerce. Title 13 of the U.S. Code contains laws regarding the administration and organization of the Census Bureau. Organizational Structure The director of the Census Bureau is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. A term for the director lasts five years, and directors can serve a maximum of two full terms. The current director, Robert L. Santos, was sworn in on January 5, 2022, and is the 26th director. The Census Bureau encompasses several divisions: * Communications: leads internal and external communications for the bureau. * Field Operations: responsible for data collection and data processing of surveys and censuses. * Economic Programs: conducts over 60 monthly, quarterly, and annual surveys covering several sectors of the economy. * Demographic Programs: provides information about the size, distribution, and characteristics of the overall population of the nation as well as information on income, poverty, and housing. * Decennial Census Programs: oversees decennial census programs, the American Community Survey (ACS), and the bureau's geographic programs. * Research and Methodology: develops the bureau's practice of economic and social measurement. Congressional Oversight & Funding The Census Bureau falls under the jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Both committees have broad responsibility for conducting oversight on government operations, which includes the Census Bureau. The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations' Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittees provide annual funding for the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau received a total of $1.485 billion from P.L. 117-328 in FY2023. This funding was divided between the bureau's two major accounts: the Current Surveys and Programs account, which received $330 million, and the Periodic Censuses and Programs account, which received $1.155 billion. The Biden Administration proposed a FY2024 budget of $1.606 billion for the Census Bureau. This budget request includes more than $375 million for Current Surveys and Programs and more than $1.230 billion for Periodic Census and Programs. Final FY2024 funding has yet to be appropriated as of this writing. Major Statistical Products The Census Bureau conducts several surveys ranging in size and scope of data collection. Census Bureau data are often publicly available, although it also maintains restricted-use microdata for social science research purposes. The decennial census aims to count every resident where they lived in the country on April 1 of that year. The enumeration conducted every 10 years determines how seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states. Any change in the number of House seats in a state is determined by population change measured during the census. Following the decennial census, states conduct redistricting, redrawing congressional maps to reflect population change. Redistricting is carried out per each respective state's own process, though states can obtain population tabulations for certain geographic areas from the Census Bureau. The data gathered during the decennial census are additionally used

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