Stimulus stimulates Census Bureau jobs

From the Census Bureau newsroom:

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Creates More
Than 2,200 Census Bureau Jobs

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that it met the July 1, 2009 deadline to create more than 2,200 new jobs across the country. Funding for the positions was made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The new employees will support the agency’s 2010 Census partnership program.

Under the Recovery Act, the Census Bureau received $1 billion in
funding, $120 million of which was used to create the new positions. The remaining funds were directed to other critical 2010 Census operations, including expanding the 2010 Census communications and advertising campaign.

“The U.S. Census Bureau has moved quickly to create these much-needed jobs,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “This new staff will perform vital work at the local level with special emphasis on getting hard-to-count communities to participate in the 2010 Census.”

There are now more than 2,900 personnel in 12 regional offices working on the 2010 Census partnership program. The diverse staff speaks 95 languages and will work with thousands of governmental entities, community organizations and the private sector to raise awareness about the 2010 Census.

The new jobs created will last through the summer of 2010, when 2010 Census outreach activities are completed.

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data guide the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year. They're also used to determine Congressional apportionment and to help guide planning decisions, such as the placement of schools, hospitals, transportation, and business and industrial development. The 2010 Census questionnaire will be one of the shortest in history, consisting of 10 questions. It takes about 10 minutes to complete. Strict laws protect the confidentiality of respondents and the information they provide.

Census 2010 prep behind schedule

According to an AP report in today's Clarion Ledger, the Census Bureau is behind schedule in preparing for the upcoming 2010 count.

From the story...

With the 2010 census fast approaching, computer glitches, operational missteps and ballooning costs could overwhelm the government’s ability to conduct the once-a-decade count of the nation’s population, congressional investigators said Thursday.

Reports released by the Government Accountability Office show critical preparations for the 2010 census are behind schedule and the Census Bureau has no clear strategy for improving the count of hard-to-reach minorities.

The reports are the latest to highlight difficulties for the census, which now costs $14 billion and has been beset by partisan bickering. Disagreements over the handling of the census were part of the reason that President Barack Obama’s pick as commerce secretary, Sen. Judd Gregg, withdrew his name last month.

The GAO found that the bureau had failed to complete checks on several of its systems that are used to compile address lists that will be critical to mailing out census forms, canvassing homes and following up with people who don’t submit responses.