[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16] [House] [Page 22765] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE SHOULD USE ALL REASONABLE MEASURES TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PERSON IS COUNTED IN THE 2010 DECENNIAL CENSUS Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 1262 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Missouri? There was no objection. The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 1262 Whereas the decennial census is described in article I, section 2 of the Constitution, which calls for an actual enumeration of the people every 10 years; Whereas the decennial census is used to apportion seats in the House of Representatives among the States; Whereas the decennial census is crucial to Federal policymakers who distribute billions of taxpayer dollars among many Federal programs based on the results of those enumerations; Whereas the first official census was conducted in 1790 under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson, who was then the Secretary of State; Whereas the 2010 decennial census will be the 23rd decennial census; Whereas an accurate census is one that counts, as of the decennial census date, all persons living in the United States, any territory or possession of the United States, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and all Federal civilian and military personnel serving abroad; and Whereas an accurate 2010 decennial census is crucial for our democracy and the equitable distribution of Federal funds: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That-- (1) the House of Representatives demands that the 2010 decennial census count every person living in the United States, any territory or possession of the United States, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and all Federal civilian and military personnel serving abroad; and (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that, in conducting the 2010 decennial census, the Secretary of Commerce should use all reasonable means to count every person living in the United States, any territory or possession of the United States, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and all Federal civilian and military personnel serving abroad. The resolution was agreed to. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________