PAGENO="0001"
OYERS~HT Ej~ Rffk~ ON 1H~ 1980 CENSUS
FART XYll~~SEATTLE, WASH~N~TON
H EARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON CENSUS AND POPULATION
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NINETY~SIXTII CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
FEBRTARY 15, 1980
Ser~aI No~ 96~$4
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Post Office and Civil Service
~
T~. GOVERYHENT PRINTING OFFICE
fE-270 0 W'ASIIINGTON : 19~O
PAGENO="0002"
PAGENO="0003"
Statement of- Page
Charles Royer, mayor of Seattle 2
Ruby Chow, King County councilwoman 5
Shani Taha, representing John Speilman, King County executive~ -- 7
Alice Larson, migrant coordinator, Department of Labor 10, 112
Manuel Olivas, Washington Migrant Education 21
Ricardo Garcia, Northwest Rural Opportunities 23
Roman Reyna, Idaho Migrant Council 27
Santiago Juarez, Northwest Institute for Hispanic Development -- -- 28
Diane Wong, State advisory commission on Asian American affairs_ 35
Jon Nakagawara, International District Community Health Center~ 45
Bob Santos, International District Improvement Association 44
Tomas Villenueva, Rural Development Enterprises 25
Kathrine Rickey, past chair of Planning Council on Aging 48
Gundjorg Sandvick, League of Women Voters 52
Jan Gilden, Displaced Homemaker Network 52
Dave Haley, independent living evaluation project, University of
Washington -- 120
Dave Okimoto, Asian Counseling and, Referral Service 59
Sun Do, Indochinese refugee project, HEW 61
Al Sugiyama, Center for Career Alternatives - 55
Dorthy Cordova, demonstration project for Asian Americans 60
Dr. Thad Spratlen, University of Washington 65
Michael Ross, United Inner City Development Foundation 75
Spruiell White, Seattle Urban League 76
Tom Elkman, Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center.~. - 77
Vivian Caver, Seattle Human Rights Commission 64
Roberto Maestas, El Centro de la Raza 81
Adan Juarez, Northwest Chicano health program 83
Jeff Casey Gaspar, Concilio 82
Dr. Joe Gallegos, National Association of Social Workers 80
Bob Saunders, South Puget Sound Tubal Planning Agency 88
Lola Romero, United Indians of All Tribes 94
Richard Brown, City of Seattle Complete Count Committee 90
Sharon Carrol, Blue Mountain Economic Development Counôil 90
Rudy Cruz, Health, Education, and Welfare; region X -- 100
Eugene Wiegman, Washington State Employment Security 96
Juan Bocanegra, Northwest Rural Opportunities -- 85
- Dick Stannard, Community Services Administration 104
Rick Schweitzer, Census Bureau 106
Maria Batayola, Asian-Pacific Women's Caucus 56
John Gonsalez, executive director, SER/Jobs for Progress, Inc 112
Gilbert Salcido, League of United Latin American Citizens, Snohomish
County 113
Rolando Adame 114
Don Palermo 115
Joseph Zuiker, managing attorney, Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc~ 116
Robert C. Thurston, program manager, Division of Vocational Re-
habilitation, State of Washington Department of Social and Health
Services 118
Armando Laguardia, executive director, Committee of Spanish Speak-
ing People of Oregon 120
Millie Russell, president, Seattle Multi-Greek Council 121
Seattle Indian Health Board .. 122
(iii)
PAGENO="0004"
7
PAGENO="0005"
PAGENO="0006"
PAGENO="0007"
3!
tee made up of 21 residents concerned with this is~sue. The group is
working extremely hard and diligently to insure that we reach all
our residents to convince theni to heip you count them. You'll be hear-
ing from Richard Brown, a spokesman for that committee, later this
afternoon, and I urge that you give ,f consideration to his more de-
tailed testimony and his suggested action.
One of the committee's major concerns, which I share, is the need
for community assistance centers in Seattle; that is, neighborhood-
based centers where residents can come to get help from enumerators
and help in filling out and completing census questionnaires.
Just last December I spoke about this need with Vincent Barabba,
Director of the Census Burea, who ~ssured me that Seattle would in-
deed have federally funded community assistance centers. However,
we have since discovered that Seattle just barely missed by a few num-
bers being designated by the Census Bureau as a city eligible for
community assistance centers.
This means there will be no special Federal help for the city in set-
ting up centers in our neighborhoods where residents can get that kind
of help which we believe they need.~ The Census Bureau will provide
neither staff nor materials to help our residents in that special way.
I consider this a very serious problem which will inhibit the ac-
curacy of the count in this city. Our residents come from the broadest
range of ethnic origin. Besides the large number of blacks and His-
panics here, we have a sizable and growing number of ethnic Chinese,
Japanese, Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Samoan, Korean, native
American, and Filipino residents. Many of these people speak little or
no English and will need assistance in filling out a census question-
naire, even the short version.
The residents exhibit a natural, understandable, and culturally
based fear when governments request personal data from them, and
in many instances they trust only those people with whom they are
familiar or who are affiliated with community organizations which
they trust.
We've had a recent experience in trying to gather data to make a
decision on electric rates in the city where we identified the people who
responded to our questionnaire by income, and we found that those
poorest residents, those residents who were under the poverty line,
those people who could have been helped most by our rate decision
had the most difficulty in dealing with the information and respond-
ing to the questionnaire.
So it's most important, I believe, that we develop the kind of trust
in the enumerators that we need.
If the Census Bureau would make available those trained and
sworn-in staff and materials, we could establish assistance centers in
those community organizations which are traditionally trusted by
our ethnic minority residents. The undercount problem here, in our
opinion, could be reduced significantly by that single action.
My second major concern, and one that is equally shared by the
complete count committee and other community leaders in Seattle, is
the noncount, not merely the undercount, of Indochinese refugees. As
I understand the process, Indochinese refugees will not be specified
as a separate ethnic group on the census questionnaire.
PAGENO="0008"
4
It is estimated that Washington State is drawing approximately
800 refugees every month, many of them from States other than where
they were settled originally by the private sector settlement opera-
tion. Seattle is getting more than 60 percent of the State's refugee
population. These figures, understandably, are very rough because we
do not have an accurate count, and without an accurate count, we will
be unable to tell the Federal Government what our concerns are in
terms of housing, health care, and education for the refugees, nor can
we make a case for Federal help to meet this group's unique needs
without accurate census data.
I suggest that we need a special effort; to enumerate the Indochinese
refugees whose need for services from local government is increasing
every single day.
Census needs to hire bilingual enumerators, especially for this group.
They need to establish community assistance centers in neighborhoods
where the refugees are most likely to be settling. They need to make
phone calls and visits and followup phone calls and visits until they
receive an accurate, complete questionnaire from each refugee house-
hold. Only with the special effort of this kind will we be able to insure
that we get a complete count of our Indochinese refugee population. I
submit, Mr. Chairman~ that it is of the utmost importance to this
administration to understand the full scope and impact of the refugee
immigration especially into the west coast port cities.
In summary, I would like to see this committee take two decisive
actions immediately: No. 1. ask the Census Bureau to designate Seattle
eligible for federally funded community assistance centers and pro-
vide the staff and the materials that are concomitant with that desig-
nation; and. No. 2, ask the Census Bureau to make a special effort to
count Indochinese refugees.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you this morning about
issues which concern me personally and which. I know, concern most
of our citizens, concerns that will benefit. your effort in obtaining as
accurate and complete a census as possible.
I thank you, Congressman Garcia. for enduring our snowstorm and
we're delighted, nevertheless, to be able to offer you the city's hospi-
tality and welcome you to Seattle.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Mr. LOWRY. Mayor, thank you very much for that excellent state-
ment and before we move to that, I do appreciate the honor of intro-
ducing Congressman Bob Garcia who is chairman of the House Sub-
committee on Census and Population. who has flown all the way from
New York to have the joy of this morning in the snow. Before he asks
his questions, I want to point out that in Chicago they changed the
mayor because of a snowstorm.
Mr. ROYER. That's why, Mr. Chairman, I only have a few minutes.
Mr. Dicics. I cannot resist telling you what Congressman Garcia
said to me last night as an aside. He said, "My goodness," he said,
"this is just a little bit of snow. lVhy are people getting so nervous."
He said. "In New York we really have snowst.orms." I just want you
to know that our taxicab drivers aren't quite as good as yours in get-
tin~ through the snow. Bob. We're glad to have you here.
Mr. GARCIA. Mr. Mayor. before I even start. first of all, excuse me
for being late. I did leave the hotel 45 minutes ago to get here in
time. So please, circumstances obviously were beyond our control.
PAGENO="0009"
5
I'm delighted to be here, Mr. Mayor, and I'm here, frankly, at the
invitation of these two gentlemen to my right, both Norm Picks and
Mike Lowry. They came to me quite some time ago to ask me to come
into the city of Seattle.
I've tried very hard to concentrate all the hearings that we've had
in cities because you and I, as well as mayors across this country,
know the hardships that you're facing. The tremendous hardships-
the urban crisis is not getting any better. It's getting worse.
So I just felt that the undercounts, as we have known them in past
censuses, whether it be the 1950, 1960, or 1970 census, was mainly in
urban centers, so that is why I have concentrated the effort in cities.
The testimony given today will be printed, recorded into the record,
but if I may, Mr. Mayor, through you, talk to the people of the cit.y of
Seattle that this census of 1980 is probably the most important census
that will ever be taken in the history of our country. It's important
because in 1970 we dealt with just, for the most part, political re-
apportionment. Since 1970, and as a mayor you know, that there has
been any number of fiscal programs attached to the census and to the
various agencies based on the population figures that these Federal
agencies, whether it be HEW or HTJD or whatever it is, are supplied
through the Bureau of Census. So we talk now about anywhere from
$50 to $80 billion a year that's reapportioned or reappropriated back
to localities.
So it's really important. I mean it's not just the policies of census
any more, Mr. Mayor. It's the question of whether these many cities
survive or not, based upon those census figures.
So I'm delighted, I'm particularly glad to be here with both Con-
gressman Picks and Congressman Lkowry.
The last time I was here, Congressman Picks took inc to see a foot-
ball game, and I am delighted to say that you were, in many instances,
underdogs but you came through magnificently and went crazy (luring
the last 10 minutes of the game and beat MinnesoLa.
But getting back and being absolutely frank, I'm delighted to be
here. It's a beautiful city, Mr. Mayor, and I think you've got some
great representatives in Congress protecting your interests at that
level.
Mr. Roi~R. Thank you, and I can only agree with what you've said.
I appreciate, again, the extra effort that you've made to be here with
us.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Mr. Chairman, we will now go on to our other two panelists. King
County Councilwoman Ruby Chow, who is graciously hosting us here
in her district.
STATEMENT OP RUBY CHOW, KING COUNTY COUNCILWOMAN
Ms. CHOW. Congressman Garcia, Congressman Lowry, and Con-
gressman Norman Picks, I want to thank you for the opportunity to
testify before your subcommittee regarding the importance of the
accurate census data.
As a native of Puget Sound region and local official and active corn-
munity person, I have had an opportunity to form some opinions about
the way the. Federal Government treats non-English-speaking persons.
PAGENO="0010"
PAGENO="0011"
7;
STATEMENT OP SHANI TAHA, REPRESENTING JOHN SPELLMAN,
KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Ms. TAHA. Thank you.
I'm extremely pleased to be here on behalf of the county executive.
Perhaps in last August, August of last year, the executive wrote
your offices. Congressman Garcia, as part of a major letter-writing
campaign that came out of this region, requesting that, not only a
subcommittee be brought to the area, but that there be some recogni-
tion of the diversity and the complexity and the uniqueness of the
Pacific Northwest.
That we're here today and that you're here today is a testament,
both to the responsiveness of our office, to the sincerity of our interest,
and to the persistence of our congressional delegation.
King County supports the 1980 census. We share the concerns
that have been mentioned by the mayor and by Councilwoman Chow
about the count and the usefulness of the information which is
collected.
In the last 10 years, we have all learned the importance of knowing
who we are and how we live and wl~ere we live.
Since 1953, King County's population has grown from 73,000 to
1.2 million, a 61-percent increase. Over one-third of our residents live
outside of municipal boundaries. Another 250,000 people are expected
by 1980.
More people, rapidly changing neighborhoods, have increased the
responsibility of county governments. We have taken on many of the
problems and concerns that were historically the purview of the
city.
Today you'll find county government is proud of agricultural land
preservation programs as we are of the emergency medical services
and as concerned about the maintenance and conversion of septic tanks
as we are on the delivery of mental health services countywide.
Our responsibilities have changed and we're becoming more and
more urban and our people are demanding the same concerns, same
kinds of quality services that those in urban centers are. They want
productive work, adequate and affordable housing, the opportunity
for quality education and health care and the protection of their
No,rhtwest environment.
Providing effective municipal and human services over such a large
and diverse area requires careful tar~eting of resources and accurate
identification of needs. The census will help our county do this, par-
ticularly in the following area:
In health and human services, we're committed to working through
private and public resources toward developing a comprehensive net-
work of service. These programs must not only be organized but they
must work on a very personal level, recognizing cultural differences
and the special treatment needs of different age groups. Knowing more
about our communities will assist proper program design and
orientation.
King County also sponsors job development and employment pro-
grams. We're attempting to deal with two major problems: First, the
large number of people arriving in the county who are without work,
PAGENO="0012"
8
and, second, the deepening dilemma of the long-termed unemployed
who daily face a more competitive and congested labor market.
If w-e're to offer localized assistance, we must know where the un-
employed live, how many they are and what the barriers to employ-
inent are if they're to be removed.
On a regional level, we must make every effort to break the cycle
of deficit services that has resulted from the undercount of this area's
migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
An aggressive census information program will help us do these
things.
We also are very supportive of the inclusion in the 1980 census of
questions relating to fuel and electrical consumption. Energy policies
on conservative and production simply cannot be formulated or car-
ried out without good data on individual use patterns.
We're currently attempting to inventroy, on a countrywide basis,
energy use and comnnmity planning project. The census data will as-
sist us in updating and assessing our baseline information and ~t will
also a.ssist us in terms of the critical need to assess tranportation alter-
natives and develop more energy-efficient way to move people.
King County has also undertaken programs to ease the housing
crisis, especially as it affects the elderly and low-income residents.
We've already committed to building 1,000 new low-income units over
the next few years. Census information about the living conditions of
our poor and elderly will help us make further decisions about where
to encourage particular types of construction, about how many people
need to be assisted in relocation, and about how much of the housing
problem can be solved by rehabilitation.
Of course, I could go on because there are many things that counties
do that cities do, but the main point, obviously, is that an accurate and
aggressive census is critical, not only to our constituents, but to our
ability to effectively serve our constituents.
Finally, I'd also like to say that I believe King County recognizes
its responsibilitiy in terms of assuring that the census does all that it
can do and that we hope it will do. We are working to assist the Census
Bureau in terms of the identification of the number of housing units in
King County to assure that everyone in King County will receive
census forms.
In addition, as the city has done, we have developed a countywide
complete county committee. It's some 75 individuals who fully repre-
sent the diversity of this county and who will then devote their ideas
and their energies to making sure that every c:itizen that we can reach
and get in contact does, in fact, have assistance they need.
In closing, on behalf of the county executive, John Speilman, I
again thank Chairman Garcia and the members of the subcommittee
and our congressional delegation for being here today and for allowing
us this opportunity to spea.k to you about our particular concerns so
that we could all work together for the development of a thorough and
efficient 1980 census.
Thank you.
Mr. GARcL~. Thank you very much.
Mr. Lowny. Shani. excellent statement.
Mr. GARCIA. Has King County appropriated any funds for a local
review of promotional activities to supplement the Census Bureau's
work?
PAGENO="0013"
9
Ms. TAITA. Most of the effort is coming through the use of county
staff that are on board and have been, their time and energies have
been devoted toward working with citizens and then working intern-
ally to help the census.
Mr. GARCIA. Just let me make one point if I may. The State of New
York recently introduced legislation calling for an appropriation of
approximately $3 million to aid the State's effort in terms of the. census.
The State of California appropriated $600,000, which has already
been passed. That legislation w:as passed, I believe, in 1979, by the
California Legislature. To your knowledge, is any effort being made
by the legislature here in the State of Washington for the additional
appropriation of money just for the State's own purpose in terms of
making sure tha.t there is a complete count in the State of Washington?
Ms. TAHA. I do not have that information. I'm not sure. Perhaps,
there's someone in the audience or ~ member of our delegation that
may know that.
Mr. GARCIA. Well, the last point I would like to make, and I don't
know how familiar you are with this, is concerning the examinations
that are being given t.o people to qualify to work for the census. Do
you have any knowledge as to the number of people who have applied
anU ta.ken the te.st, the number of people who have taken the test and
passed as opposed to failed, and then those w'ho have passe.d, how
many of those that have passed are actually working for the census
or have any hope of, in fa.ct, coming on board with the census?
Ms. TAHA. No, I haven't.
Mr. GARCIA. Well, if you hear of any problems in King County,
I would ask you that you get that information back to us.
Ms. TAHA. We certainly will.
Mr. GARCIA. We're getting reports that the test is not really reflec-
tive of many of the communities across America and we're trying to
look into that. If there is any possibility that we can change that be-
tween now and the kickoff date, the kickoff date being April 1, we're
going to try and do it.
I also would like you to know, just in closing, that Brooklyn, as
we know Brooklyn in New York, is called really King's County.
Ms. TAHA. I would love to share with you a secret. I was born in
Brooklyn.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you very much.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you, Shani.
Could we have the next panel, please. I believe they're ready.
Mr. GARCIA. The Hispanic issues panel, migrant and seasonal farm-
workers, Alice Larson, migrant coordinator for DOL; Manuel Olivas,
Washington migrant education: R.icardo Garcia, Northwest Rural
Opportunities; Roman Reyna, Idaho Migrant Council; and Santiago
Jriarez. Northwest Institute for Hispanic Development.
Mr. VILLENTJEVA. One addition, Tomas Villenueva from the Rural
Development Enterprises.
Mr. LOWRY. Two requests again, and we're probably going to have
to ask this ma.ny times. This room really carries noise and we're having
trouble hearing the witnesses and so, as much as people can give us
that consideration, it's very necessary.
PAGENO="0014"
PAGENO="0015"
ii
This knowledge of lack of data has been well documented in the
past. A couple of sources include the national office of HEW and,
most recently, the task panel on migrant and seasonal farmworkers
of the President's Commission on Mental Health.
My written testimony provides some concrete examples of where
farmworkers have been overlooked in the Northwest because of lack
of data. It also gives a couple of theories I have developed as to
why this information is so hard to get.
One of these theories is that there is no common definition in
use as to who is or is not a migrant or seasonal farmworker. In
addition, there is no one survey designed specifically to count and
characterize farmworkers and therefore takes into account the spe-
cial problems involved in collecting data on this population.
This brings me to the 1980 census. The census is a crucial, if not
the crucial, source of demographic information for planners, for
service providers, for elected officials, for proposal writers, for target
group advocates, and for thousands of others. Every year $50 bil-
lion worth of Federal, State, and local government funds are dis-
tributed, according to census figures.~
However, the census will not be able to obtain information on
migrant and seasonal farmworkers as a specified group in 1980, as
it was not able to do in 1970. There are three major reasons why.
First, the question of how to categorize census response on em-
ployment questions to identify migrant and seasonal farmworkers
is a real dilemma. As we have no commonly accepted Federal defi-
nition, no one Federal definition can be used. Those occupations
related roughly to agricultural workers will be categorized as farm-
worker, supervisor, or farmworker. The categories migrant and sea-
sonal farmworker are not even included in the census.
This means that seasonal farmworkers are grouped with perma-
iient farm laborers and permanent part-time farm laborers: all of those
employed regularly and working for just one farmer or grower.
In addition, family workers, if they are paid for working on their
own farm, are grouped into this category. This means that census data
cannot be used to derive num~bers or characteristics on' exclusively the
migrant and seasonal farmworker group.
The second major problem with the census counting migrant and
seasonal farmwo'rkers is that employment questions are asked of census
respondents in relation to the work they performed the week immedi-
ately preceding April 1. Most seasonal farmworkers will not have
begun seasonal farmwork by this early date. They will not note that
they were employed in seasonal farmwork and, therefore, they will
not even be classified as agricultural workers.
The third major problem with census data is one that we particu-
larly face in the Northwest, and that is because we use temporary
niigrant laborers. Census data will not indicate migrant travel patterns
and temporary residences. Information about them will `be recorded
only in relation to the place they consider home base. No temporary
residence information will be provided in the census.
This means that when migrants are in `the Northwest and are in need
of services like public health services, bilingual education, and public
welfare services-all allocated according to census figures-there will
PAGENO="0016"
12
be no allocation for provision of these services while they temporarily
reside in the Northwest. All of the service funds allocated to serve
them will go to their home base.
Migrants are in the Northwest from about March through October,
7 months, and they will need those services while they are here. How-
ever, there will be no service funds allocated to the Northwest to
provide these services to them.
Mr. GARCIA. You say they're going to be here from March through
September. Then they're within the category of April 1.
Ms. LARSON. Right, but if they are found in the Northwest as a
migrant, they will be asked to specify their home base, the place they
consider `to be their permanent residence~. They may say Texas, for
example, and so, their census data will be forwarded back to Texas.
We will not even know they were here because they will be recorded as
a Texas resident. This is a major problem for us here.
These problems I have described are serious, and they affect the
ability of the 1980 census to gather data on farmworkers. The result
will be an incomplete resource, the, census, used as the authoritative
source on migrant and seasonal farmworkers, basically because the
census is supposed to `be the authoritative source on all population
groups.
I would like to request that when you return to Washington, D.C.,
you ask Congress to consider the testimony that I have presented on
this issue and try in future censuses to develop data collection pro-
cedures that will help us get the data we so desperately need on migrant
and seasonal farmworkers.
I would like to conclude by thanking you for the opportunity to
allow me to testify before you today and to tell you once again how
pleased we are that you have come to the Northwest to listen to our
concerns. Thank you.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you.
Mr. LOWRY. I think we should just go straight on down the panel
and then come back for questions.
[The complete written statement of Ms. Larson follows:]
PAGENO="0017"
13
TESTIMONY OF
ALICE LARSON, MIGRANT COORDINATOR
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
I would like to begin by thanking you, Mr. Chairman,
and the Subcommittee for holding this hearing in Seattle.
I am the Migrant Coordinator for~the Employment Stan-
dards Administration, U.S. Department~of Labor, Region X.
In this position, I attempt to bring Federal, State and
local agencies, organizations and individuals together
to work on the many problems of migrant and seasonal farm-
workers (MSFWs). In addition, as a consultant in 1976,
I conducted a study of service delivery barriers for MSFWs
for the Department of Health, Educatián and Welfare, in
this Region. Throughout this and other work I have seen
a recurrent theme, a barrier which prevents the development
of policy and other assistance services for MSFWs: the
lack of accurate data on the oooulation.
As you will hear today, we are concerned about many
issues surrounding the 1980 Census, particularly the problem
of obtaining an accurate count of the diverse ethnic groups
in the Northwest. We appreciate your taking the time to
listen to our concerns and hope that you come away from
this hearing with the feeling that your time has been well
spent.
I have several areas of concern ~ihich I would like
to discuss with the Subcommittee today, all of which involve
obtaining accurate data on MSFWs through the 1980 Census.
The Problems faced by the Census in Accurately
Counting and Characterizing MSFWs
Accurate and complete information is essential in
assisting any group of people with enormous and complex
needs, such as MSFWs. As all of those who work with this
group are well aware what limited information which does
exist -- usually numbers data -- is not necessarily accurate.
Basic characteristics data on the population is practically
non-existent.
In planning for allocation of funds and services,
particularly in our present era of shrinking resources,
those about whom little is known will often be the first
66-270 0 - 80 - 2
PAGENO="0018"
14
to be overlooked. Services and policy impact cannot be
measured without accurate target population data. Without
this information, it is impossible to tell what proportion
of the target population is being reached and, consequently,
how many are not being reached. In addition, it is difficult
without hard data to (1) assess whether the population
has unmet needs and problems which should be corrected;
or, (2) for migrants in in-stream areas (such as the Northwest),
determine whether they are in the State long enough to
be a service delivery consideration.
Knowledge of this lack of data ha-s been well documented
by numerous authoritative sources, including the national
office of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and
Welfare; the Task Panel on Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers
of the President's Commission on Mental Health; the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights; Legal Services Corporation;
the National Association of Farmworker Organizations; Rural
America and others. Yet, the problem remains. In the
Northwest, the following are just a few examples of what
this lack of information has meant to MSFWs:
1. Those involved in developing State Health Plans
in the Northwest under the National Health Planning and
Development Act indicate they do not have the quality of
data they would like concerning MSFW health conditions
and needs to assure adequate health services to this popula-
tion. They are forced to use existent data they know is
deficient.
2. The Idaho State Office of the Farmers' Home Adminis-
tration indicated it is not convinced that there is a need
for migrant housing in that State as there is no hard evidence
documenting this need. The Washington State Farmers' Home
Administration Office recently drew up a list of service
and funding priorities for allocation of resources across
the State in line with a new policy of targeting services.
Although I personally believe that housing is a crucial
probl em of MSFWs in Washi ngton State, service to this popu-
lation was not considered a priority by Farmers' Home Adminis-
PAGENO="0019"
15
compensatory benefits through the trade adjustment assistance
program, including living allowances and training assistance,
under the U.S. Department of Labor administered Trade Act
of 1974, MSFWs employed in hand labor~ intensive field work
necessary to produce sugar beets did not. Most MSFWs were
not even eligible for unemployment compensation. As there
were no reliable figures on the number of MSFWs formerly
involved in sugar beet production or the proportion of
their income which comes from their wbrk in sugar beets,
there was no way to prepare for assisting those who were
in need due to this loss of employment. There was also
no way to determine the impact loss of employment had on
migrants who were forced to draw on a~iditional assistance
resources at their home base due to lack of this usual
source of income.
Why is there such a lack of dataabout MSFWs? There
are two main reasons why it has been so hard to obtain
such data: First, there is no one definition of who is
or is not a "migrant" or "seasonal" farmworker in common
use by service providers, policy makers, those who enforce
regulations, and data-gatherers. This means the target
population cannot be defined, and a data source prepared
for one agency may not be relevant to another. Second,
major data sources are not aimed specifically at counting
and characterizing MSFWs, and so are not as sensitive as
they might be to the special problems~ associated with collecting
data on this population. These problems include:
1. MSFW5 move from job to job and migrants move
across the country. MSFWs are difficult to find
and interview at work. Migrants have no perma-
nent residence while working; therefore, they
are hard to find at a home site.
2. Because MSFWs constantly move, it is easy to
count an individual more than once.
3. Data cannot easily be projected from what is
known. For example, total population cannot
be projected from the known number working on
PAGENO="0020"
16
specific days because of duplication of counts.
Family size cannot be projected from the number
of children in school or the number of family
workers in the field because children in school
and the number of family workers vary depending
on community resources, family economic situation
and other factors.
4. There is a feeling that the MSFW population is
constantly changing depending on the economic
situation of the country and labor needs. MSFWs
are not like veterans. Once a person is a migrant
or seasonal farmworker, that person is not always
a migrant or seasonal farmworker.
This brings us to the 1980 Census. The decennial
Census of the United States is a, if not the, crucial source
of demographic data for planners, service providers, elected
officials, proposal writers and target group advocates,
just to name a few. Census figures are used by Federal,
State and local governments to allocate over $50 billion
worth of funds per year. These funds go for such programs
as Revenue Sharing, Bilingual Education, Public Health
Services, Vocational Education, AFDC and hundreds of others
which affect MSFWs. Census figures are also used by government
agencies and thousands of non-profit organizations for
planning purposes.
Although the 1980 Census is designed to count and
gather characteristics data on every person in the United
States, it will not be able to obtain this information
accurately for MSFWs as a specified group in 1980, as it
also did not do in 1970. There are three major reasons
for this.
First, the question of how to categorize a Census
response to employment questions, and thereby distinguish
migrant and seasonal farmworkers, is a real dilemma. Because
there is no single Federal definition of MSFWs, no one
definition can be used. Employment/occupation questions
PAGENO="0021"
PAGENO="0022"
18
public health services and others used by migrants. This
migrant population is present in the Northwest from approxi-
mately late March to October, around seven months, in which
they will need to make use of many of these services.
Even if recognition were given to the need to allocate
funds for provi si on of services in temporary sites for
migrants, such as those in the Northwest, no data would
be available through the Census to indicate the extent
of this need.
These are serious problems with regard to the ability
of the 1980 Census to gather data on MSFWs. The result
will be an incomplete resource used as the authoritative
data source on MSFW5, because the Census is `supposed to"
contain accurate data on all population groups.
I would like to ask this Subcommittee to consider
the testimony I have presented about the inability of the
1980 Census to supply much needed data on MSFWs, and to
consider procedures to improve data collection in future
Censuses on this population group.
The Hiring of Bilingual Enumerators
Another area of concern which I wish to discuss involves
the hiring of Spanish-speaking enumerators. The ESA Regional
Office has been active in helping the Bureau of the Census
recruit MSFWs, particularly Hispanics, for employment on
the 1980 Census. Along with the Bureau of the Census,
we feel that hiring Spanish-speaking enumerators is crucial
to obtaining an accurate count of Spanish-speaking individuals
for the 1980 Census.
We understand that the Bureau is committed to hiring
bilingual people who are from the communities in which
Spanish-speaking enumeration assistance is needed. We
hope their efforts are successful since we believe that
bilingual capability is essential to an accurate count
in these areas. We do wish to take this opportunity, how-
ever, to urge that in the future the Bureau of the Census
give consideration to printing and distributing copies
PAGENO="0023"
19
of the enumerator employment test in Spanish to affected
District Offices to allow applicants the option of taking
tF~e test in the language with which they may be most familiar.
The Problem of Listing "Special Places" for MSFWs and Enumerating
MSFWs in "Special Places"
The final area of concern we have relates to the problem
of identifying "Special Places" where~ migrants reside and
enumerating migrants residing in the "Special Places."
Despite the problems which will cause the 1980 Census to
be inaccurate in reporting MSFWs as a~specified group,
we are very much concerned with the counting of every migrant
or seasonal farmworker as an individual. An accurate identifi-
cation of "Special Places" and a careful enumeration of
migrants residing in these "Special Places" are crucial
in counting migrant and seasonal farm'iorkers.
Unlike most of the rest of the United States, migrants
will be working in the Northwest on Census Day, April 1.
Specifically, thousands will be in Washington State in
the Yakima Valley to harvest the asparagus crop. I have
also been told that some migrants will be in the Pocatello
area of Idaho to clean fields, prepare potato fields and
perform other agricultural tasks. Many migrant individuals
and families in Washington during the Census period will
be living in labor camps. Due to a severe shortage of
migrant hOusing in Washington, however, many will be hying
in their cars, in abandoned shacks, along river banks or
anywhere else they can find shelter. MSFW5 may be found living
in labor camps in Oregon and Idaho as well , due to MSFW
housing shortages in these two states. Both the labor
camps and unusual residence sites for migrants are classified
as "Special Places" in terms of Census~ enumeration.
We recognize that there are difficulties inherent
in attempting to identify "Special Places" where migrants
reside in this region. The ESA Regional Office has several
lists of labor camps for Washington State developed by
a variety of sources, although some of this information
PAGENO="0024"
20
may be outdated. In addition, the Region X office of the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration has done
extensive work on developing such a list for their needs.
.1 will be happy to share these lists with Regional Bureau
of the Census officials. I also have some information
on Oregon and Idaho labor camp sites which I will be glad
to share, although I am sure this is only a small percent
of the total camps in these two States. I have no list
of unusual migrant residence sites in any of these states
to give to the Bureau.
It is our understanding the Special Place enumeration
with regard to unusual migrant residence sites e.g. automobiles,
abandoned shacks, along river banks, will take place on
only one night, H-Night. As~ I have noted, many of the
migrants in this region live in these unusual residences
due to the shortage of migrant housing. We are concerned
about the ability of Census enumerators to reach all of
these sites and find individuals "at hone', given only
one night for enumeration. If these efforts are not suc-
cessful, many ~1SFWs will not be reached.
We believe the Bureau of the Census may have to look
into the issue of hiring a sufficient number of Special
Place enumerators in each affected Census District Office
or, alternatively, extending the Special Places H-Night
enumeration efforts with regard to unusual migrant residences
for a sufficient length of time to assure that MSFWs at
these sites are counted in the 1980 Census.
I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing
me to testify before the Subcommit~ee today to share the
views of the Employment Standards Administration about
the 1980 Census count of MSFWs. I would be happy to answer
any questions you may have regarding my testimony.
PAGENO="0025"
21
STATEMENT OP MANUEL OLIVAS, WASHINGTON MIGRANT
EDUCATION
Mr. OLIvAs. My name is Manuel Olivas. I reside in the Yakima
Valley. I'm also an employee of the migrant education program for
the State of Washington which deals primarily in the education
and recruirtment of true migrant, children into the school system.
We have several concerns that have been brought to our attten-
tion throughout the initial contacts with the Census Bureau.
We have recently found that the testing that is currently being
used for the recruitment of census takers and enumerators is, one,
irrelevant to the job performance that will be conducted by these
individuals and, two, is combined with a clerical test for clerical
staff which is irrelevant to that particular enumerator position.
The recruitment of applicants has been sporadic in terms of con-
tacting agencies that can provide qualified Hispanc applicants for
enumerators.
There is no relevant bilingual testing instrument to determine
the bilingual capabilities of individuals that will be going out as
Hispanic or bilingual enumerators.
The hiring practices that have been implemented, at least in the
Yakima Valley, have been one of exlusion in terms of hiring quali-
fied Hispanic minorities, or rather qualified Hispanic enumerators.
The individuals that have been referred to hire in the Yakima area
have been either misinformed of the testing date and, therefore, have
not been able to test. The other is a lack of coordination and coopera-
tion by the Census Bureau individuals from this particular region.
As early as February 1978, there was a meeting held in Yakima
\Talley with several organization heads from community-based orga-
nizations that serve and provide services to the migrant seasonal
farmer community. An effort was being made at that time to coordi-
nate training for individuals that ëome in contact with the migrant
population on a daily basis. Nothing ever came of that.
There was a letter that was sent to the Census Bureau requesting
that staff from Census. come down to put on a workshop so that we
could assist with the enumeration.
The news media that has been coming from the census has been
primarily in English. The methodology that has been used to dis-
tribute this has been primarily through PSA .announcements. The
PSA announcements are lefl to the wishes of the station. They are
primarily run either early morning hours when people are not at
home, or late at night when people are already in bed. There has been
no effort, or a minimal effort, made in disseminating bilingual cen-
sus announcements on English-speaking, as well as Spanish-speaking
media.
We would recommend very strongly that the Census Bureau take
an active role in developing comprehensive media dissemination into
the Spanish population and, if necessary, sponsor-by that I mean
pay for-these announcements so they can get into the Spanish-speak-
ing population during prime time, utilizing both English- and Span-
ish-speaking media.
The other area of concern is the mail-in-mail-out questionnaires in
Spanish. There is a definite need fOr followthrough with the mail-
PAGENO="0026"
22
ing of questionnaires in Spanish. The questionnaire may reach a
place where more than one family resides.
As is written in the testimony, when the migrant population comes
in, approximately the latter part of March, early April, for the aspar-
agus season, which is the first crop to hit this State, the housing is
taken up almost immediately. Individuals that reside here locally
then, in turn, turn around and rent attics, basements, garages, and so
forth to the migrant population. Sometimes there are as many as 5
to 10 families living in one dwelling.
These people, because of fear of repercussion, will not allow the
enumerator to come onto their property, will not pass on the ques-
tionnaire to the families and, therefore, the people will not be counted.
The process that is currently considered, or being considered, for
implementation, the mail-in-mail-out, is inadequate in terms of reach-
ing the Spanish-speaking population.
Mr. LOWRY. Is that because of the address? How can that be im-
proved?
Mr. OLIVAS. There's a combination of problems. One is the address.
Two is the fear of the individual who owns the property of repercus-
sions, either from city officials or other officials.
One of the other issues pointed out in the paper is the appointments
of district office managers. We are asking the Census Bureau to take a
close look at the positions that are currently filled nationwide, specif-
ically here in Washington State, that are a managerial capacity or
supervisory capacity, how many Spanish, Hispanic people do you have
that have been hired into these positions.
The appointment of district office managers, we find that has been
primarily done by the governing party at that particular or that
particular district, the Republicans or the Democrats. The person
gets appointed and there are no Hispanics in those key positions.
We're also asking that the Census Bureau include in the citizens'
review process, that takes place in July, individuals that are familiar
with, or part of, community-based organizations, programs, or from
the community that are familiar with not only the lifestyle, but the
migration patterns of the migrant farmworker population so that
they can validate a review, be part of this review process.
A hotline should be set up in each particular region that should be
manned by bicultural or bilingual individuals that are sensitive and
will not alienate or scare off individuals that are calling in to get
clarification on the filling out of these forms. This office should be
manned from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock in the evening for maximum
utilization.
The other, you should have community-based organizations, such as
migrant health clinics, Northwest Rural Opportunities day care cen-
ters, migrant education field representatives, Department of Social
and Health Service field representatives, employment security field
representatives. You have a variety of agencies that employ individ-
uals that perform face-to-face contacts with the migrant population.
These individuals should be working very closely with the census or,
vice versa, the census should be working very closely with these
individuals.
We're also proposing that individual enumerators or census takers
should be stationed at these sites that have a large flow or traffic of
PAGENO="0027"
23
migrant seasonal farmworkers that come through to avail themselves
of these services. A good example is a health clinic. This would catch
those migrant seasonal farmwork~rs that might be missed by the
enumerators.
In the hiring process, if all else fails, we would like to see the
census make an appropriation or an allocation within their fiscal
budget to, if there is not enough money, to hire translaters to go along
with the monolingual, English-speaking census takers to act as the
translater to fill out these particular forms.
The individual should be, preferably, from that particular area.
They should be knowledgeable abOut the migrant lifestyle and the
places where these people live. The individuals that can best refer these
types of people for employment would be the community-based orga-
nizations that hire these particular kinds of individuals to perform
said services for them. They would know, simply by the grapevine and
the conununication network established here, who can or cannot do
the job.
That concludes my testimony.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to address the committee.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you.
STATEMENT OP RICARDO GARCIA, NORTHWEST RURAL
OPPORTUNITIES
Mr. RICARDO GARCIA. Buenos dias.
My name is Ricardo Garcia, director of Northwest Rural Oppor-
tunities, a statewide organization serving migrant and seasonal farm-
workers.
I would like to introduce to the committee Mr. Elsenora Nesto
Maldonado. Ernesto Maldonado is a farmworker from the Yakima
Valley and he has lived in this area for 30 years. He has never been
counted in the last three censuses.
I'm taking the opportunity to speak on behalf of people like Mr.
Maldonado.
Mr. ROBERT GARCIA. If I may, I think that if you ask people all
across America to raise their hand if they can ever remember being
counted or if they have not been counted, you'll find three-quarters of
the people will raise their hands saying that they can never remember
ever being counted.
Mr. RICARDO GARCIA. That's true, probably.
Mr. Maldonado, well I speak on his behalf and because our concern,
working with the farmworkers in the State of Washington, and many
of them being Chicanos from Texas, California, the Southern States,
and then the population that is growing from Mexico in the Yakima
Valley, we speak on their behalf, and because, you know, I would like
to emphasize that many of our Chicanos in the State of WTashington,
and other States too, we have an educational problem. Many are ii-
literate in English. Mr. Maldonado does not speak any English. His
language is Spanish. In the Yakirna Valley that is very prevalent.
Many people still prefer to speak Spanish.
I support the testimony given by Alice Larson and Manuel Olivas
in that sense, to support the things that they said about farmworkers.
We have a radio station, Congressman Garcia, Radio Cardena, and
PAGENO="0028"
24
we go on, you know, we started to go on the air every Monday with a
specia.l emphasis, a program to address the census, and we started
it last Monday and I would like to share with you some impressions
of that 1-hour-iS-minute show that we did.
We talked about the census We explained what the census was and
we told the audience that is listening: This is going to take place
April 1. This is what the census consists of. Now, we want your co-
operation. Many of you that are listening are from Mexico. We would
like you to understand what the census is all about.
Our program is in Spanish. you know and within that 1 hour and 15
minutes, we had about 15 calls and people who were wanting to know
more about the census, and as we talked, you know, and now that im-
presses on us that we must go on every Monday; we're going to do it
every Monday and further explain what the census is about.
That is the problem that exists within our community, that the cen-
sus is still, you know, something that the people still don't under-
stand what it is.
The form that they will receive through the post office is carried, it's
a big form, and many, we suspect that many of our Chicanos will re-
ceive the form and not deal with it.
The other problem in the Yakima Valley is the enumerators. We
don't have enough who are bilingual or who can speak Spanish flu-
ently to communicate with the people. Now, we don't have any because
the test tha.t's imposed on a $4-an-hour job was too difficult for some
of our people to pass the test and, therefore, ~et hired.
Mr. ROBERT GARCIA. If we had that test in Spanish, do you think
that the scores would improve?
Mr. RICARDO GARCIA. Maybe so. It would help, but the test is the
issue. I think the responsibility of the enumerator and the test that is
given does not match. It just doesn't make sense, and it has eliminated
several people that we have referred that we know that are literate
in English sufficiently and in Spanish and who can relate.
Now, that's a very important issue too. You must be able to relate
to farmworkers who are either in the camps of Del Monte, who are liv-
ing in the houses of the growers, who are living in the-the people
that we're going to approach are very humble people.
I think that if Northwest Rural Opportunities would have had a
chance somehow to get involved and provide our expertise in dealing
with farmworkers, we might have, the census might have been more
complete. We suspect that this count is going to be not as complete
as we would like to in the Yakirna Valley or in the State of Washing-
ton, the Columbia basin area, Walla Walla area.
As stated before, about 6,000 to 7,000 migrants will be arriving in
the Yakima Valley in the next 6 weeks and, again, it is a population
that, if we don't pay attention to the census and the purpose of it,
we're going to miscount many of them.
I would like to pass the microphone now to Mr. Villanueva who will
add to what I started to say.
I would like to repeat that the community that we would like to
see that needs to be counted is a very humble community and they
want, they need more information. The public service announcements
that are done by the Advertising Council are not sufficient. They're too
commercial. They're very commercial.
PAGENO="0029"
25
The address that we must give to the community is something that
can relate to them. It has to be done slowly. We have to take our time
to explain, and explaining the information can get through, and we
experience that with the radio program. They called, they were in-
terested, and they wanted to know more, and we promise to come
back and we're going to continue doing it.
Unfortunately, Radio Cardena is only one of two stations in the
country who are totally in Spanish. Another one is in California, and
our station is educational. Therefore, we have as much time as we
want to to relay that information, but that information is going to
be limited in the Yakima Valley. What about Texas, New York, Cali-
fornia, New Mexico, Arizona?
Another idea that came to us last night was how about the stations
along the border of Mexico who are transmitting in Spanish. Why
can't we give them enough information so that they too can transmit
that information to people that are coming into the United States?
Thank you for listening.
STATEMENT OP TOMAS VILLENUEVA, RURAL DEVELOPMENT
ENTERPRISES
Mr. VILLENTJEVA. Congressman Garcia and members of the com-
inittee, I can't say that I thank you for giving me the opportunity to
be here. I'd rather have to say that~ it's about time that some effort
has been made to try to make sure that all minorities are accounted
for in the 1980 census.
Ricardo was mentioning that in about 6 weeks there will be
thousands of migrant farmworkers coming, not only to the State of
Washington, but States of Oregon, Idaho, California, we talk about
Illinois, Ohio, and many other States.
The schedule or calendar to carry out the census is from March 28,
April 1, with some follow-up on April 16, and the follow-up is based
on those people that did not return their 9uestionnaires.
The farmworker usually leaves sometimes starting toward the end
of March from the State of Texas, which means will be leaving per-
haps 2 or 3 days before the questionnaire arrives and will arrive to
the different Northern States after the census has already been taken,
and I wonder what steps, if any, does the committee plan to take to
address to that particular problem.
The other one you mentioned, that if the test would be in Spanish,
if that would help. I'd like to ask, could you tell me what "en casiado"
means, Congressman? I was raised and born in Mexico and I'm still
trying to figure out what it is.
But this is the 1980 copy, a sample of the census. It doesn't say a
thing about what the census is or why it's important to fill it. It
doesn't even tell them to try to fill it out.
Mr. GARCIA. On every one of those forms that are going to be mailed
into the home, there will be a telephone number and an address written
in Spanish so that the person. can either call, or go pick one up.
Mr. VILLENUEVA. Yes; but it doesn't even say that, you know, to fill
the questionnaire. It only says if you want one in Spanish-
Mr. GARCIA. The reason for that is that there are some people who
may not even know where to start, to answer or respond to the first
PAGENO="0030"
26
question. So the purpose of that is just to make certain. and we're
going to make this public on the Spanish stations as well, that they
can just call that number or go to the address that's written on the
front page in terms of getting a form that is totally and completely
in Spanish. I realize it's not 100 percent perfect, but we're trying the
best we can, and especially this subcommittee, to make sure that every-
body is reached. There will be people, in spite of everything we're
doing, that are not going to be able to be reached.
Mr. VILLENUEVA. Well, the Census Bureau could consider through
the committee, perhaps, in terms of actually reaching the people,
rather have district officers perhaps contract with community organi-
zations to carry out the census, such as Northwest Rural Opportunities
which is a statewide organization and has a rapport with the com-
munity.
Mr. GARCIA. Well, we'll have them for you. We'll have them and
everyone of your organizations, as much as you want. All of that will
be available to you.
Let me just interrupt your testimony if I may.
Mr. VILLENUEVA. That's about all I have to say.
Mr. GARCIA. Before the next person speaks, if I may, the main pur-
pose of what we're trying to accomplish here is not so much what
you're saying here. I mean the record will be very clear. The main
purpose is that those who are community leaders like yourselves and
myself as the chairperson of this subcommittee is, as we leave here,
because once I leave here, you people stay, this is your home, but to
try and get the message to you to go back into the communities to
make sure that you touch as many people as you possibly can in terms
of the importance and necessity of the census.
I am not satisfied with many of the things the Bureau of the
Census has put forth. I've only been chairman of this &ibcommittee
1 year. I've tried to highlight the importance of the census, especially
as it pertains to poor people. The problem that I have is that I get
caught as the chairman of this subcommittee in a dilemma, but my
dilemma, as far as Pm concerned, at this moment is for total and com-
plete cooperation with the Bureau of the Census.
However, once the census is completed, there's no question in my
mind that they need tremendous reform. We have to reform the Bureau
of the Census. It needs a great deal of work. This is a bureaucracy
that has been in existence from year 1 with no continuity in terms of
people monitoring it. They've had a free hand. So what we're trying to
accomplish here is just to get complete cooperation. It's not perfect.
I have asked that that form be mailed into areas of this country
where you have a large Hispanic population, both forms, English and
Spanish, and I've ran into obstacles.
The test that you are talking about is a very difficult test and now
I'm starting to get it from Members of Congress who represent His-
panic communities throughout America, that people are failing that
test., that the test is not relevant to our community. I understand this.
There is a test in Spanish that's given in the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, if we can incorporate that in the last 2 or 3 months in
terms of enumerators for those people who feel that they cannot pass
the test that is in English.
PAGENO="0031"
There are many problems, but I would hope that those of you who
sit here as a panel leave here with the message that what we'rc trying
to accomplish is that you a's the leaders go back into your coqnmunities
because this census is so important, I can't even begin to tell you the
impact that it's going to have on poor people `across his country over
the next 10 years. That's my mission.
My next mission is to work with you to reform the Bureau of the
Census so that when we have the mid-decade census, if we go back to
counting people, which that has not been established, that we will then
have an opportunity to reform it, and I pledge to you hat I will work
to reform the Bureau of the Census, but right now I am hoping that
you will take the messages back to. your respective communities as to
where we are right now in 1980.
Mr. VILLENtTEVA. Congressman Garcia, my concern is that all these
changes or all these pressures, you know, are we going to have, for
actual changes, are we going to ha:ve to wait to be accounted in 1990
rather than 1980, and yes, we are going `back to our communities and
we are here because we are also very concerned about being counted,
but we need the cooperation from the Bureau of Census, from the
districts.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you.
STATEMENT OP ROMAN REYNA, IDAHO MIGRANT COUNCIL
Mr. REYNA. Gentlemen, my name is Roman Reyna.
I come here on behalf of the Idaho Migrant Council of Boise, Idaho.
It's a community-based organization representing the migrant and sea-
sonal farmworkers throughout the State.
I strongly endorse the testimony iy Alice Larson, by Manuel Olivas
and the remainder of the comments made by Mr. Ricardo Garcia, Senor
Villeneuva.
I can say no more than what they have already said because even-
tually in Idaho we are dealing with the same type of problems.
This week we processed 48 persons that applied for jobs with the
census. They are pretested. Out of the 48, we only had 24 of them that
were able to complete the test in the time period that was given to
them. The test was nowhere close to what they were pretested on, and
we're anxiously waiting for the results as to how many of those people
will be hired for those jobs of enumerators.
We decided to come here in view of the fact that we felt the census
count is already on, the major problem right now is that whatever we
say here would just be another testimony being on record because I
don't see how can major changes be made in the short period of time
that we have to take on this count.
I also have to address some of the things that Villenueva said, Mr.
Olivas, in reference to media. It appears that a massive number of dol-
lars were given out for media advertisement. We have not seen any
of those dollars in any of the media throughout the Northwest, as I
understand from what my colleagues had to say here. I think that we
need to continue some more massive media immediately, right now and
after the census is done., to assure the counting of the migrant and
seasonal farmworkers.
PAGENO="0032"
28
The testimony by Ms. Larson addressed the fact that March is the
tune that migrant and seasona.l farmworkers start leaving their home-
town. They're going to be caught in the middle of the road, and from
there until September and late in November is when they get back
home, and one wonders if the migrant and seasonal farmworker is
again bemg victimized by the U.S. Government process of dealing with
these problems throughout the century.
In closing, I say that we hope that you being there and being from
the Hispanic background, you'll be able to assure us that we will have
the employment of those that are needed in the community and, not
only for the period of the census, but beyond that to assure that we get
to all the facts that we need to.
Thank you, gentleman.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you.
STATEMENT OP SANTIAGO JUAREZ, NORTHWEST INSTITUTE
FOR HISPANIC DEVELOPMENT
Mr. J~AREZ. My name is Santiago Juarez. I'm here to testify about
some issues that I think have to be addressed.
When I was first invited to testify, I must say that I, with reluc-
tance, said that I would probably participate and had an opportunity
to talk to some of my brothers and sisters at this table before I decided
to testify, and the more I talked to them, the more my reluctance was
vindicated and something, such as the transcriber being in Kansas City
and can't speak Spanish, sort of justifies my reluctance and vindicates
my reluctance, and my reluctance was based on the idea of the incon-
sistencies that exist in the Bureau, and I use the word inconsistencies
because it's more palatable than hypocrisy.
The hypocrisy is really. Congressman Garcia, and we're not casting
stones toward you, but maybe it's an opportunity for us to sit down and
look at reality and not kid ourselves about what we're doing too late.
The hypocrisy that I experience is that if we were to take a body count
of the minorities that died in Vietnam, of the Hispanics that died in
Vietnam, they would exceed the proportionate population of the
United States in terms of what they represent.
When it comes to the Federal Government providing services for
Chicanos, Hispanics, they have to count us to make sure we don't get
more than our fair share of the pie, but when we go out to serve the
Federal Government, numbers become irrelevant, when we die in
Vietnam. They become irrelevant in the Department of Census.
Congressman Garcia, there is in the administrative staff of the
Census Bureau in Washington, D.C., not one Hispanic administrator.
Of the 12 regional directors for the Bureau of Census, there's not one
Hispanic. For the twelve regional census managers, there is not one
Hispanic. In the whole totality of the Census Bureau, there is one
GS-14 Hispanic and then the esteemed Dr. Estrada, who was hired
part time as a demogra.pher. That is a historical problem with the
Census Bureau.
We come here to testify. We talk about the problems that we have.
We know we've got those problems. Look at the makeup of the Census
Bureau. I think this committee has an obligation to turn its eyesight
toward that structure. It's a historical process of neglect.
PAGENO="0033"
29
If there are not Hispanics in those administrative positions who
are sensitive to migrants, who are sensitive to Hispanics, who are
going to put pressure on their staff to make the right decisions regard-
ing Hispanics, it is never going to be done.
The census is not a 10-year problem. It's an ongoing problem and
that Bureau has to be monitored now until the day it dies, when it no
longer exists.
We have the statistics on what's been happening in this region. Of
the district office managers, none are Hispanic. Of the operations office
supervisors in this region, none are Hispanic. Of the assistant office
supervisors in this area, one is Hispanic. That's for eight States. For
8 States of the field office supervisors, out of 24 for the 8 States, only
2 are Hispanic. For the special placement office supervisors, these are
the people who are going to be out counting the people on the river-
beds, these are the people who are directly responsible for the mi-
grants, not one is Hispanic, Congressman Garcia, and that's the reality
of the situation that we face.
The entire structure is permeated with this hypocrisy, and it goes
on and the Department seeps itself further, entrenches itself further
in the hypocrisy that is now perpetuated, and it does it by using the
1970 census for allocation of resources.
I am sure that by using the 1970 census, the Department has reached
its affirmative action goals, because,~ as far as the .1970 census was con-
cerned, Hispanics were basically nonexistent.
That was challenged by the Mexican-American Legal Defense in
California and we won and we settled. I would submit to the Congress-
man that if we don't do it right this time, the cost of the lawsuit
and the cost of the settlement to the Federal Government will be
greater in 1981.
In closing, I would like ~to state that the State of Washington has
taken no affirmative steps to try to rectify this problem and get an
accurate count. Why? I would submit to the Honorable Congressman
that, in terms of services, in terms of this State when it comes to
migrant farmworkers, the farmowners are more powerful than they
are in terms of whose needs must be met.
There is only one complete count committee in the whole State
of Washington. That is in Seattle; Wash.
The State of Washington was given the opportunity to waive
employment with the Census Bureau for people who are on aid to
dependent children. Did they choose to do so? No.
We are here to live with the census, Congressman Garcia, but I
would submit to the honorable committee that this is not a 10-year
problem; as I stated, it's an ongoing problem that if we are going
to have an accurate count, justice must be done at looking at this
historical problem and the historical problem that exists within the
Census Bureau.
We do not have to be sensitized, the people who sit at this board.
They are sensitive enough. Who has~ to be sensitized to the importance
of the census and to the people who have died, if they choose to serve
them as we have served them, is the Census Bureau, and that is the
message that I was reluctant to give.
Thank you.
66-270 0 - 80 -
PAGENO="0034"
30
Mr. LOWRY. Excellent statement. I'd like to ask a few questions.
I'm familiar with the field offices here in Seattle and both the
north and south field office, whatever the correct. term is, and there's
a specific difference between those and the field offices in central
Washington, which moved more into the undocumented worker prob-
lem on down the line.
We do have, we concentrated very hard in our field offices here
for more adequate racial minority supervisory positions. We have a
significant number in the field office that the Seventh Congressional
District happens to be in, over 50 percent are. In fact, off the top of
my head, I think it's 60 or 70 percent.
Mr. JUAREZ. I appreciate that, but I think what we're talking about
if we're talking about a patronage system, you have to talk, you know,
we are fortunate that we have you in the seventh district and I think
we recognize that, but in Yakima, in other areas where we do not have
the political strength, where we have been systematically excluded
since day one, since Chicanos walked on the face of the Earth, in
Yakima, how do we expect a political patronage system which system-
atically excludes us to try to include us in field supervisory positions?
Mr. LOWRY. Actually, that's the question I was going to get to. I just
wanted to make sure that we at least knew that in this area, Asian,
black, we've been trying to improve this historical problem.
In the field offices that would serve the primary agricultural areas
of central Washington, eastern Washington, what is the supervisory
position count?
Mr. JUAREz. I gave you that for the whole State. Field office super-
visors, there are only two in the whole eight-State region, and those
two, if I'm not mistaken, are here in Seattle.
Mr. LOWRY. So, in other words, you're saying it's zero?
Mr. JUAREz. It's zero. It's zero there. It's zero in Idaho. It's zero in
Montana. It's zero in the eight States that we cover, and the eight
States that we cover are Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah,
North Dakota., Montana., and Alaska. For those eight States there are
only two, and they're here in Seattle. There's none in Yakima. There's
none in Oregon. There's none in Idaho, and they all have migrants.
Mr. LOWRY. That is of the field office supervisory positions, of which
there are some five to eight major positions, as I recall.
Mr. JUAREZ. No. Of the field office supervisory positions, there are 24
for the 8 States; 21 of those have been filled.
Mr. LOWRY. You're talking about one of the five to eight positions
in each field office.. When I said five to eight positions, I wasn't zeroing
in on just that one position, I was talking-
Mr. JuAiu~z. Yes; I'm talking about all of them. I'm talking about
district office supervisor. I'm talking about special placements officer.
I'm talking about assistant office operations supervisor. I'm talking
about office ope.rations supervisor. I'm talking about all those positions.
Of the whole eight-State region, in all those areas, there are only
three Hispanics in the whole eight States.
Mr. LOWRY. Obviously, we want to work on that specifically in the
areas where there's a large population of minority people, and in many
of these areas, that's what you're speaking to.
Alice, would there be a way to handle this problem of the 7 months
of the migratory farmworkers being here but being counted in Texas
PAGENO="0035"
31
or another State? I mean, should that question be asked different?
Should the question be asked, "What percentage of your employment
do you spend where ?" I think that's where the big problem is because
we're not going to get that money for those farmworkers.
Ms. LARSON. I have talked to Census Bureau officials about this
problem, and the ones I have mentiOned it to feel that we need a special
survey designed specifically around the problems we have counting
migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
Nobody now collects accurate data on this group because we do not
know how to do it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department
of Labor specifically excludes farmworkers in their calculations for
the same reasons the Census Bureau has problems collecting farm-
worker data.
Census Bureau officials do feel they can collect farmworker data,
but they feel it would take a special survey, because you have to ask
travel pattern information, and y,u have to survey throughout the
farmworker season to get accurate information.
Mr. GARCIA. If I may, to you, Alice, and to Manuel, we held a hear-
ing in Austin, Tex., and we had the people from Little Rock, Ark.,
who handled the central computer dealing with migrant labor children
education, and they seemed to have a very updated system, probably
a system that is as updated as any in terms of the movement of mi-
grant workers to where they go, what time of the year they're there,
but their main function, obviously, is to deal with schoolchildren, and
I found that fascinating that that computer should be located in Little
Rock, Ark. I spent a couple of hours with the person who is in charge
of that computer center who seemed to be extremely sensitive.
This probably will not give us 100 percent in terms of migrant
movement, but there must be some formula that we would be able to
use as it relates to the movement of children of migrant laborers and
where they're going to be, and the reason for that is a very obvious
one. The States in which these children are going to be during that
period of time have to be reimbursed to the point where they are at
least getting the moneys that they need to take care of these children.
Do you know anything about that, the migrant laborer and the
computer in Little Rock, Ark., and as it relates to at least one system
where there is accuracy as to the movement of migrant laborers?
MS. LARSON. It is my feeling, from the research 1 have done, that this
is the best farmworker data system that exists, basically because
migrant education is funded according to the number of migrants
identified. So they have extensive outreach programs, and Manuel is a
representative of that program here in Washington.
Mr. GARCIA. Right. Can't we draw from that?
Mr. OLIvAs. There are a couple of problems. One is that we only deal
with those particular States and districts that wish to implement a
migrant educ.ation program. Not all districts wish to do so. There are
migrant children in the State of Washington now that are not being
served by school districts simply because the district does not want to,
at that particular time, be burdened with an additional Federal
program.
The information that is housed in the computer in Little Rock, Ark.,
is of a national scope. Unfortunately, it only deals with those children
that go into a school district academic program. It does not deal with
PAGENO="0036"
32
pre-school children, oniy here in the State of Washington. It does not
deal with dropouts. It does not deal with extended family. It does not
deal with other adults.
So, yes, you can get a feeling for the migration patterns of particular
groups; however, the information that is garnished from this particu-
lar system would not be appropriate or true.
The other problem that you have is that you have the protection of
the Privacy Act that is very, very strongly adhered to by the MSRTS
system. They will not open the records to you. They will give on in-
formation which may or may not be accurate.
The other thing that must be considered is the fact that not all
migrant programs in the Nation are a~s conscientious about identifying
and documenting migrant children into that system. So you do have
that problem.
The other issue that I want to address before closing is the fact that
you made a couple of statements. One is that we as leaders need to go
out and cooperate. I think it's the other way around. We are ready to
cooperate and there is documentation to that effect. The problem is
that the census needs to cooperate with us.
The other is that these migrant individuals are here in April. If the
census does not take appropriate steps, these people are not going to be
counted.
The other thing that you need to consider is that there are about
and I'm being very, very conservative, 30 to 40 percent of the migrant
population that comes into our State that is illiterate in both English
and Spanish. So, the sending out of a form is going to be irrelevant.
They're not going to deal with it.
If the recommendations that were made here today of communicat-
ing with community-based organizations is adhered to, there's a very
good possibility that we can get a large percentage of this population.
Mr. GARCIA. Just a couple more questions, if I may. You mentioned,
Mr. Reyna, about the number of people who have taken the test in
Boise and you're awaiting a response on how many people passed. The
Bureau of the Census is here with us today, and I'm going to ask them
to respond to that and give us the statistics.
Dr. Ferber, would you have those answers?
Dr. FERBER. Yes, Mr. Chairman. I. confess, to some amazement,
Boise has got to be one of the highest in office. As of the most recent
statistics, which was 154,000 tested nationally, in the Boise office, 213
people were tested and 203 passed for a passing grade of 85.3 percent.
1~fr. GARCIA. So, in other words, if 24 people-did you say 24
people took the test?
Mr. REYNA. There were 48.
Mr. GARCIA. So, in other words, if you've 212 that have taken it and
your 48 are included, then you can go back and give the word that the
overwhelming majority of those people passed that test.
`Would that be fair, Dr. Ferber?
Dr. FERBER. It certainly would be.
Mr. VILLENUEVA. That doesn't mean that they're going to be hired;
rioht?
~V[r. GARCIA. Well, that's the next step. The next step is that we
will ask the Bureau of Census when they-see, they're the last to testi-
fy because it's important that they hear your testimony so that then I
PAGENO="0037"
33
can ask them questions to respond to what it is that you people have
testified before us today.
I think that's good news for Boise, and I'm delighted that as many
people passed as you have stated.
Mr. JtJAREz. Congressman Garcia, do the statistics on testing of the
Census Bureau indicate whether there were Hispanics that failed or
not?
Mr. GARCIA. Well, we're going to ask that question, but look, if 213
took the test and 203 passed and 48 of those were Chicanos or His-
panic, that means that the overwhelming majority of those people
passed the examination.
Just a couple more questions. Let's see. Where are we?
Just let me say to you, Mr. Santiago, more a statement as opposed
to a question, the Bureau of the Census has never been monitored by
the U.S. Congress, never. The Bureau of the Census and the Census
Subcommittee has never been, and I always get a kick out of this
when I say, the sexy subcommittee as subcommittees go in the U.S.
Congress. Nobody has really cared about the census, and it doesn't
matter whether you're from the minority community or the majority
community. Nobody has ever cared because it's never been a subcom-
mittee that has lent any prestige to any Member of Congress.
One thing I can assure you, Mr. Santiago, is that there are two
parts of this subcommittee, census and population, and both of them
affect the minority communities very, very closely: population, as it
pertains to people who are coming into the United States, and census,
as it pertains to the ongoing process of counting Americans.
I, if am reelected to the U.S. Congress, will maintain my chairman-
ship of the Census Subcommittee and I will stay in this subcommittee
as chairman of this subcommittee as long as it takes to reform the bu-
reaucracy of the Bureau of the Census.
But I will tell you, Mr. Santiago, it's very difficult to reform bu-
reaucrats, very, very difficult. It's probably among the hardest proc-
esses that I have ever gone through, and I have been in elective office
now 15 years, as a State senator in my State and as the minority lead-
er of the State senate, as well as being a Member of the U.S. Congress.
We may make the laws, but the people who have to implement them
are yet something else, and it takes a great deal to move, and I mean
that from the bottom of my heart. I just wish I had an answer for
you that I could say, I wish they would run for public office and get
a sense and a feel of what it is, the constant pressures, so that we can
move things faster.
I'm not saying that all bureaucrats fall into that category, but
many of them do. They're more concerned about the security of where
they're coming from and everything else, and I have no quarrel or
argument with that. I think there's a certain sensitivity that comes
to people, you know, when you call an agency, whether it be at the
city-and the city bureaucrats are as bad as the State bureaucrats
and as bad as the Federal bureaucrats. Nobody has the franchise on it.
I say that to you only because I just think it's important.
Just to sum up, because there is another panel coming behind you,
in 1960 and 1970, there was no place that said Hispanics, on the short
form. This is the first year that we're really going to get a count as
to who in this country is of Hispanic background, and I think that's
PAGENO="0038"
34
got to make) a big difference for Hispanics across America as people
view us, and so I woiild hope that this census of 1980 would be more
reflective of giving a better picture of all Americans, of all Americans,
as opposed to being something that we leave people out. In closing,
with that statement., 1970 was a. difficult year because it wasn't just
the Bureau of the Census fault.. We had the wa.r in Vietnam. There
wa.s civil unrest in this country. Cities were burning and people just
didn't give, a. damn about. Government. I'm not saying they give that
much of a. damn today. but it was a very difficult period in 1970 for
us, and so many people just turned their back a.nd sa.id: The hell with
it. We don't want to participate. They just walked away. This year
we've got to get on t.hat boat because if we don't get on, we're in deep
trouble.
I thank each of you very much for being with us.
Mr. RICARDO GARCIA. Could I say just one last word, Congressman
Garcia?
Mr. ROBERT GARCIA. Please.
Mr. RIOARDO GARCIA. In Texas many yea.rs ago there used to be
the system of le scala. When somebody died, le sea.las were circulated
and the whole community knew about the person that died.
I think that the issue of dissemination of information, we would
like to impress that we need some assistance. We're ready to dissemi-
nate information and we're ready to go out with a system of le scala
wherever the Chicanos live and not announce the death of something,
of someone, but announce that there is something new, you know, and
tha.t it is important that we all participate.
We need that understanding from the Census Bureau, the dissemina-
tion of information which is relevant, either to the pamphlets that
we could deliver-
Mr. ROBERT GARCIA. You have my total cooperation in terms of the
statements that the six of you have made here. As to the future of the
Bureau of the Census, you've got my cooperation. I would just ask
you to have faith and trust in me. Let's work on this thing. Let's
count everybody we can, for your good, as well as for the entire
community.
Mr. RICARDO GARCIA. We'll do it.
Mr. OLIVAS. Congressman Garcia, one question. Maybe I'm ask-
ing the wrong person, but are there any moneys above and beyond for
the census that they might be able to use to develop an advei~tisement
that would be addressing-
Mr. ROBERT GARCIA. As of this moment, Manuel, I can tell you that
I don't know of any, as of this moment.
Thank you all very much.
Mr. VILLENUEVA. Just one more question.
There will be families that will be receiving more than two? I
see that this only has for seven places.
Mr. GARCIA. Well then, you ca.n get two forms and just continue, and
if you need more than two, we'll give you three forms, or as many as
you need.
Mr. Lowny. Could we have our next pa.nel.
For people, so they could figure their schedule, if it's all right with
you, Mr. Chairman, I'm going to suggest tha.t we complete this panel
and we come back at 1:15. That's a very short lunch hour. We will
PAGENO="0039"
35
complete this panel and we will break for what will be about one-half
hour and we will try to reconvene with the next panel at 1 :15.
STATEMENT OP DIANE WONG, WASHINGTON STATE ADVISORY
COMMISSION ON ASIAN-AMERICAN AFFAIRS
Ms. WONG. Good afternoon.
My name is Diane Wong and I'm the executive director of the Wash-
ington State Commission on Asian-American Affairs.
The commission was established by the State legislature in about
1973, and we were given the responsibility of enhancing the lives of
Asian-Pacific-Americans in Washington.
*Tn carrying out this responsibility, the commission has worked
with many different Asian-Pacific-American communities through-
out the State and we have also worked with different governmental
agencies on all different levels.
My purpose here today is to provide you with a short overview of the
Asian-Pacific-American population in Washington State and the ef-
fect of the census on that population.
I'm going to concentrate primarily on the areas outside of Seattle-
Tacoma, because there are people here who will either testify today
or will provide written testimony about Seattle-Tacoma.
I've heard from some of the Asian-Pacific-Americans in the Tacoma
area. They are unable to make it today because of the snow.
Pio Decano is the director of the Bilingual Education Technical
Assistance Center in Pierce County serving region 10. He was going
to be speaking about bilingual education, the effect of the census on
bilingual people.
Bob Yama~hita is the director of the Tacoma Community House and
lie will be providing testimony about the Indochinese refugees in
Pierce County.
Herman Vargas is with the Asian-American Alliance and he will
provide testimony about wives of, 13.5. military and other Asian-
Pacific-Americans in Pierce County.
Generally, Asian-Pacific-Americans can be found throughout the
State. It's estimated there are about 70,000 of us in Washington right
now. The major concentration is in~ King County whinh, according to
estimates based on 1970 census data, is about 42,200.
The next largest concentration is in Pierce County, with an esti-
mated population of 7,500. There are also large numbers in Spokane,
2,900; Kitsap-Bremerton, 2,500; Snohomish, 1,800; Yakima, 1,050;
and Clark County-Vancouver area, 1,250.
While the estimates in King County may be fairly accurate because
there are people doing continuous collection of data, the figures rep-
resenting the other counties are extremely inaccurate. For instance,
current estimates from people worki~ng in the community in Pierce and
Kitsap Counties have estimated that their population is at least twice
the figures that are projected from the 1970 census data. Pierce County,
for example, estimates that their population is at least 20,000. The esti-
mate based on 1970 census data is 7,500.
Although we have not seen specific figures for Spokane, Clark, and
Thurston Counties, for instance, we feel that the situation is pretty
much the same in those areas.
PAGENO="0040"
36
The great disparity in estimates versus actual population can be
traced back t.o severai problems.
First,t.he 1970 ceiisus data did not. 1)rovicle a. mechanism by which
to include data regarding non-English-speaking persons. You've
already heard this morning how the census systematically excluded
Spanish-speaking persons. Tha.t same census systematically excluded
persons who spoke various Asian-Pacific languages, including
Chinese, Japanese, all the various Filipino dialects, Indochinese,
Korean, and the Pacific Islander community.
The 1970 census did not have bilingual enumerators, did not have
bilingual census assistance centers. and also did not do aggressive
community outreach.
The second reason for the disparity in estimates versus actual pop-
ulation figures is that the census, in seeking out Hispanics through
the 1970 Spanish surname approach, included many Filipinos whose
surnames were Spanish but whose heritage was Asian-Pacific-
American.
Third, the prolections based on the 1970 data did not take into
account the rapid population growth through immigration. In 1965,
immigration laws, which had heretofore worked against the reunifi-
cation of Asian families, were liberalized. Subsequently, large num-
bers of Chinese and Filipinos began to enter the United States, and
families were once again permitted to flourish.
Following those two ethnic groups, there have also been large
numbers of Koreans and Pacific Islanders who have immigrated into
this country. Washington State now has about the fourth largest
Asian-Pacific-American population in the country.
In 1975, with the change in the Vietnamese Government, many
Indochinese began to resettle in America, comprised of Vietnamese,
Cambodian, Laotian, and others. The Indochinese have been enter-
ing this State at about the rate of about 500 to 700 a month. This
makes Washington the fourth largest resettlement State, also.
These new immigrants are resettling throughout the State, and
they're joining the already established Japanese and Chinese
communities.
The figures which do exist raise the questions about the size of the
Asian-Pacific-American population; however, because of the way in
which the information was collected and the type of information
collected, the figures also show that the characteristics based on the
1970 census data are very skewed.
The information that was collected in 1970 reflects only the infor-
ma.tion gathered from people who could speak English, so we have
a very strange and inaccurate picture of the Asian-Pacific-American
population in terms of education levels, economic levels, job levels,
and socia.l characteristics.
For instance, it inaccurately depicts Asian-Pacific-Americans as
having all made it, succeeded, or somehow assimilated into this cul-
ture. It fails to isolate factors, such as limited English skills and lack
of job training opportunities, and from the work that our commission
has done throughout the State, we know tha t this picture, this success-
ful Asian-Pacific-America.n population, it's not a real picture at all.
I do have suggestions for improving the census. It includes aggres-
sive community education by persons who know the community. It's
PAGENO="0041"
37
too easy to hire someone who does not know the resources that are
available, the people, the community leaders, and there's not enough
time. Usually, the people who are hired to provide community educa-
tion or some type of outreach are hired just a few months before the
census actually takes place. That's much too late.
We also need to establish bilingual and multilingual census assist-
ance centers, especially in the community. Right now, many of the
community groups that we work with are asking, is there going to be
anybody available to provide answers to questions that their clients
come up with, and right now we've been able to say no.
We need to build into the census questionnaire more complete ques-
tions regarding the ethnic origin of Asian-Pacific-Americans. I'd say
about two to three times a week we receive questions from the various
governmental agencies about the ethnic breakdown of Asian-Pacific-
Americans and education and economics in employment. We don't
have it. We even get questions from the State's own statistical infor-
mation-gathering agency.
Mr. GARCIA. Have you seen the form? S
Ms. WONG. No, I'm not.
Mr. GARCIA. And you're not satisfied with the breakdown?
Mr. WONG. No, I'm not.
Mr. GARCIA. Where is it, in terms of Asian-Americans, that you feel
we may have left out?
Ms. WONG. Well, I think that some of the categories are more com-
plete now than they were in the 1970 census data; however-
Mr. GARCIA. Can I read to you what we see here?
Ms. WONG. Sure.
Mr. GARCIA. You've got Japanese, you've got Chinese, you've got
Filipino, you have Korean, Vietnamese, Asian-Indian, Hawaiian,
Guamanian, Samoan, Eskimo, Aleut, and then at the bottom it says
others. Of the form, the form that takes up the most space in terms of
ethnicity is that area as it pertains to Asian people, for the most part.
Ms. WONG. Right.
Mr. GARCIA. Do you think that-I'm serious about this because I was
in Thai not too long ago, up in some of the refugee camps, and I met
with some of the Mongs and we had a chance to-how is it possible
that we're going to be able to, in a census form, include, you know, just
about Cambodians and Vietnamese and Mongs, the whole host of-I
would love to have the information because I just think it's important
to us, but from a practical sense-~and then you take the long form
which deals specifically with the whole question of what is a person's
ancestry, and then you deal here, Diane, and you go into a whole series
and you can put anything you want, obviously. This goes to one out of
six families, the long form, it's really cumbersome. When they say a
long form, they mean just that.
In this area, it seemed to me that that was one of the areas that we
covered pretty well. While not complete, it was probably as complete
as any other classification in terms of Asian-Americans.
Ms. WONG. I think that you're right. The classification in this par-
ticular census form is much more complete than the prior one; how-
ever, because of the relative small numbers in each of the various
ethnic groups, it might be better to do a complete type of census count
as opposed to a random sample. S
PAGENO="0042"
38
My primary problem with many of these forms is that they're only
in English, and right now there is no number that a non-English-
speaking person who speaks Ohinese, Tagalog, or Korean can call for
information on how to fill out the census.
I don't know how true it is, but I've heard that in the 1970 census,
because there were no bilingual enumerators, if the.y came across a
family that did not speak English, oftentimes they would just leave,
and I don't want to see that happen again.
Mr. GARCIA. No. I agree.
Ms. WONG. I think that it's very important, also, that we do hire
multilingual enumerators. I have been discussing the test and the em-
ployment of enumerators with some of the people involved in the hir-
ing for the census. The test seems to be doing a terrific job of keeping
minorities out, especially bilingual minorities.
For instance, the passing score for enumerators is about 21. In order
to get a higher level position, such as a clerk, you have to have a score
of 26.
Mr. GARCIA. What makes you say that the testing is keeping bilin-
gual minorities out?
Ms. WONG. I have some statistics here for you. The white applicants
who are over 60 years of age, about 40 percent are gaining scores of
over 26. That enables them to be not only enumerators, but also clerks.
For white applicants under 60, almost 90 percent are getting scores of
over 26.
For minority applicants, however, those over 60, only 25 percent
are getting scores over ~26. That's compared to the white population
of 40 percent who are passing. For minorities under 60, this is even
worse; less than 40 percent are gaining scores over 26, and for white
applicants under the age of 60, that's 90 percent gaining scores over
26.
Mr. GARCIA. Those are very interesting statistics.
Ms. WONG. I will provide them to you.
It's very, very disturbing, especially when there's a lot of press right
now about how the census is trying-
Mr. GARCIA. Diane, excuse me. Where did you get those figures?
Ms. WONG. I got them from some of the people who work in the
census office, and I don't feel free right now to say their name.
Mr. GARCIA. That's fine.
Ms. W0NG. But it is from within the census office.
Mr. GARCIA. Well, I'm sure the Bureau of Census wouldn't want to
hide anything like that.
Ms. WONG. I have been assured by the persons that I talked, with
that in evaluating the applicants, they are supposed to include not only
the test scores, but also whether or not that person is indigenous to
the area and whether or not that person is familiar with the various
cultures within that area. The test scores are only the third factor to
count, and I think that it's very important that persons who are doing
the hiring of enumerators, they must know that support for this type
of priority, familiarity of the culture and whatever, comes from the
top. As long as they dont' feel that there's support for this type of
evaluation, they're not going to do it.
Mr. Lowny. Diane, within our field offices, is it the field office super-
visors that are doing the hiring? In other words, if we can get right
PAGENO="0043"
39
down to identification of who is really doing the hiring, we might be
able to have some positive effects on~this question.
Ms. WONG. I think that the people doing the hiring in your district
are doing all right, but they're really stymied by the test.
Mr. LOWRY. This is the supervisory people in the field offices that are
doing the hiring?
Ms. WONG. Right. I think the test is the thing that we really need
to get to. It's provided only in English and it doesn't give enough
weight to people who are bilingual.
In closing, I'd just like to say that it's more important now than ever
to recognize the diversity of people in this country. A more complete
and accurate census will give us documentary proof of this, and it also
makes the job of our commission a lot easier.
Thank you very much.
Mr. GARCIA. Diane, I want to thank you very much. I thought your
testimony was right on target. That's what we've been preaching, and
I'm glad you got the figures. We're going to get the figures from every
testing across the country in the next couple of weeks. We're going to
ask for them.
Ms. WONG. Thank you very much.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you.
[The statement follows:]
PAGENO="0044"
40
Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Census and Population
February 15, 1980
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Seattle, Icashington
By: Diane Yen-Mei Kong, Executive Director
Commission on Asian American Affairs
Good morning, My name is Diane Yen-Mci Kong, and I am the Executive
Director of the Washington State Commission on Asian American Affairs. The
Commission was established by the State Legislature in 1973, and given the
charge of enhancing the lives of Asian Pacific Americans in Washington. In
carrying out this responsibility, the Commission has advised department
directors, the Governor's Office and various other government officials.
The Commission has also worked with many different Asian Pacific American
CAPA) communities throughout the state,
My purpose here today is to provide you with a short overview of the state's
APA population, especially in the counties outside of the Seattle/Tacoma
areas. Persons from both of those areas will be submitting testimony about
their problems and concerns. Because of the snow today, the three people
from Pierce County will not be able to attend this hearing. Dr. Pie Dc Cano,
Director of the Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Center, Region X,
will submit testimony about the bilingual issues of the Census and will also
focus on the effect of the Census on Bilingual Education. Robert Yamashita,
Director of the Tacoma Community House will discuss the resettlement of
Indochinese refugees in the Pierce County area, with a particular focus on
the problems of obtaining information from this segment of the APA community.
The last speaker from Pierce County was to be Elizabeth Dunbar, Director of
the Asian American Alliance. Her testimony will include discussion of the
APAs in that county, the large increase in the immigrant population and also
on wives of U.S. military men.
Generally, APAs reside throughout the state of Washington. According to the
official state projections, based on 1970 Census data, there are about 70,000
APAs in Washington. The major concentration is in King County, which
according to the state's own estimates, has a population of about 42,200 APAs.
The next largest concentration is in Pierce County, which has an official
estimated APA population of 7,500. There are also large numbers in Spokane
County C2,900); Kitsap County (2,500); Snohomish County (1,800); Clark County
(1,250); Yakima County Cl,05D); and Thurston County (970).
These numbers are quite deceptive, however.
While the figures for King County may be more or less valid, those for the
other counties are extremely inaccurate. Community groups in Pierce and
Kitsap Counties, for example, estimate that the actual population in those
areas is at least twice the state's official 1970 Census projections.
PAGENO="0045"
41
Although the Commission has not had the opportunity to discuss with community
leaders the question of the APA populations in their respective counties, it
is fairly certain that the situation is likely to be similar: actual figures
greatly exceed any official projections.
Several problems have contributed to the great disparity between official
and unofficial population estimates. First, the 1970 Census did not provide
a mechani-sm by which to collect and incorporate data regarding non-English
speaking persons, including APAs. More specifically, there were no bilingual
enumerators. Neither were there any bilingual census assistance centers.
Not all persons who are to be counted in the Census can speak or understand
English.
Second, the 1970 Census, in its quest to determine the numbers of Hispanics
in the c6untry, developed an approach which counted all persons with Spanish
surnames as Hispanics. This approach resulted in inclusion of many Filipinos
whose surnames were of Spanish origin, but whose heritage and community ties
were Asian Pacific American. There has been no way to distinguish these
Filipinos from Hispanics.
Third, projections based on 1970 data do not adequately take into account
the rapid population growth through immigration. In 1965, immigration laws
which had heretofore worked against the reunification of APA families were
finally liberalized. Subsequently, large numbers of Chinese and Filipinos
began to enter the U.S. and families were once again allowed to flourish.
Following those two ethnic groups, there have been large numbers of Koreans
and Pacific Islanders who have settled here -in this country.
In 1975, with the change in the government of Vietnam, many Indochinese began
to resettle in America. Comprised of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, 1-Imong
and others, the Indochinese have been entering this state at a rate of about
500 - 700 a month. With this immigration rate, Washington has become the
fourth largest resettlement state in the nation.
Fourth, many APAs are immigrants. Regardless of whether they are in
compliance with immigration laws regarding their status, they fear that any
information which they give to the federal government will somehow be turned
and used against them. The fact that the Bureau of the Census has not had
any breaches of confidentiality is of no avail to a community which has not
received adequate, comprehensible information about the Census and the
unavailability of the Census information to other departments of the federal
governmental institutions.
Those population figures which do exist not only raise questions of the size
of the APA population. In addition, because of the way in which informotion
is collected, only those respondents with sufficient English skills to
answer the survey were included in the Census data. This has resulted in
PAGENO="0046"
42
imcomplete and inaccurate information which has skewed, and continues to skew,
the picture of the APA population in terms of education level, income level,
employment and other social characteristics.
One of the very damaging images which has arisen from the incomplete data
depicts the APA population as having made it, as having succeeded, as having
assimilated. The image fails to consider factors such as limited English
skills, lack of job training and opportunities, and limited access to social
and health services at all levels.
From our Commission's work with APA communities and with local social
service agencies, it is exceedingly clear that this image is wrong: we have
not all succeeded. Rather, the APA community faces severe problems which
are increasing due to the neglect that stems from the resistance of funding
sources to accept the reality of the problems.
The Commission has several suggestions for improving the 1980 Census in the
APA community. First, the Bureau must make community education a high
priority. Because of the common fear that poor people and people of color
have of the government, the entry of official census takers, or even the
receipt of a census survey, will likely cause a large portion of the non-English
speaking population to refuse to cooperate. To overcome this, the Bureau
must conduct aggressive and continuous education of the community. The
person responsible for this task should be someone who is familiar with the
community and those individuals and groups that can facilitate the census.
Such an effort requires the expenditure of a great deal of time and energy. It
should begin very early on in the Census process.
Second, in order to provide back-up support for the community education, the
Bureau should establish temporary Census assistance centers which have a
multilingual capacity, and which are easily accessible to the community.
Training for persons who staff these centers should include time set aside to
deal with cultural differences in values and behaviours.
Third, unlike the Hispanic community, there are several different ethnic
groups within the APA community which do not speak common languages. Because
of the relatively few numbers of persons within each of these ethnic groups,
the Bureau should conduct a complete count of the APA community, rather than
just a random sample. Only with more detailed information can there ever be
a true picture of the APAs in this country.
Fourth, the Census Bureau must hire multilingual personnel, especially
enumerators and others who will be working with the public. This should
include redesigning the test so that it is more culturally valid, restructuring
the evaluation system for selection so that It reflects a higher value for
those jiersons who speak and understand a language, other than English, which
is used b~ a significant segment of the population of the area. Other factors
PAGENO="0047"
43
to build into the screez~lng process include famIliarIty with the ethnic
cultures of persons wfthin the area, and indigenousness to the area. Support
for inclusion an,47consideration of these factors must come from the top levels
and then impressed upon the persons who are conducting the hiring.
At this point, I would like to cite a very concrete example of the need for
change in this area. From discussion with persons who are involved in the
hiring process for the Seattle area, one conclusion Is clear: the employnent
test is doing a terrific job of keeping minorities, especially those whose
second language is English, out of the hiring system.
The passing score for an enumerator is 21; for a clerk or field supervisor,
passing is 26. The following figures are based on information collected at
the South District Office of the Census. This area includes all of Seattle
south of Yesler Street, which includes the International District, Beacon
Hill and the Rainier Valley; it also includes Southeast King County, All
of these areas house large numbers of people of color and low-income people.
At the South Office, applicants were given the opportunity to indicate their
racial/ethnic background on a voluntary basis for affirmative action purposes,
The age of the applicants was derived from the "Date of Birth" question on
the application form. (Figures are approximate.)
For white applicants over 60 years of age, 40% received scores of
26 or above. For minorities over 60, the corresponding figure was
only 25%. For white applicants under the age of 60, almost 90%
received scores of 26 or better. For minorities in that age bracket,
less than 40% received scores of 26 or better.
If the Bureau is actually serious about improving the data in the 1980
Census, if it is actually serious about including APAs this time around, then
it must take a good look at what it is, and is not, doing. Statistics such
as the ones above, while not complete, are sufficiently disturbing to raise
concern in the Commission and in the communities with which we work.
In closing, I would like to say that it is more important now than ever
before to recognize the diversity of peoples in this country. I and the
community for which I work, know that we are diverse and that we have not
been included in any meaningful way in any of the prior Census-takings,
This has not always been by choice. We want and need official documentary
proof of our existence in this country. Without such evidence, we know that
we will continue to work at a disadvantage in securing adequate funds to
meet our communities' needs.
Thank you for your consideration.
PAGENO="0048"
.44
STATEMENT OP BOB SA~NTOS, INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT
IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION
Mr. SANTOS. My name is Bob Santos. I'm director of the Interna-
tional District Improvement Association and we thank you for com-
ing and visiting us in our State, Congressman Garcia, and for the
record, we'd also like to thank Mike Lowry for the grea.t job that lie's
done for us back there.
A lot of the things that I was going to say, Diane Juts already said,
but we are very concerned that till now the Asians have never gotten
a true count. `We know that there has been a great undercount and that
has been a disservice to our community, and until we receive the proper
attention and recognition, we will continue to be left out of prograths
set up to eliminate substandard housing conditions, inadeq,uate health
care, and social services, juvenile and not-so-juvenile crime, poor edu-
cation and educational opportunities, unemployiiient and under-
employment.
One of the things that we share with the Hispanics, I think, is what
we also have a migrant population and they're called Alescaros and
these are mainly Filipino, young and elderly, who migrate to the can-
neries in Alaska, and we would hope that the State of Alaska does not
assume that these people are counted here in the, States because the
Alaska population migrates during the same months as the Hispanic
population, from April through September.
I am also concerned about the employment test and does that test
take. into account bilingual applicants. The area thtvt I work, most of
the people live in elevated housing or hotels and apartments, and many
of the 1)eople, of course, do not speak English. `We have. Chinese, Japa-
nese, Filipino, mostly elderly residents. It would be very hard, very
difficult for any enumerator to even get into the door of many of the
elderly because of the lack of trust and the normal things that elderly
people are concerned with, but particularly those people who do not
speak English.
So we would hope that those persons who are hired, we hope that
the community has some kind of a priority in the luring of enumera-
tors that work in our communities.
We are also concerned and would like to know whether the staff
members have any cultural sensitivity training. That's very important
in approaching some of our elderly non-English-speaking Asians.
Lastly, I think we're concerned, very concerned about what the de-
partment's confidentiality safeguards are.
Mr. GARCIA. Bob, just let me interrupt. `With all the criticism of the
Bureau of the Census, the one area that they have been absolute cham-
pions on is the question of confidentiality. I have absolute trust in all
that they have done to this point, and I am certain that that is one
area that we must-I will go to bat for the Bureau of the Census.
They've been super in terms of keeping the forms and all the data ab-
solutely confidential. There is no agency, not even the President can
get that information from the Bureau of Census.
Mr. SANTO5. OK. Thank you.
Mr. GARCIA. You also have a good case in point with what Diane
said before. Your name, if I were to read it-
Mr. SANTOS. Yes; it's a Hispanic name.
PAGENO="0049"
45
Mr. GARCIA. As far as I was concerned, I'd count you as one of us,
only because of the surname.
Mr. SANTOS. And in the Filipino, population, we need every count.
Mr. GARCIA. We'll make sure you get it.
STATEMENT OP ION NAKAGAWARA, INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
Mr. NAKAGAWARA. I'm Jon Nakagawara, director of the Interna-
tional District Community Health Center.
`We're a community health clinic~ located in Seattle's international
district, Chinatown neighborhood, serving the low-income residents
of that immediate neighborhood, in addition to the Asian-Pacific Is-
lander community in the greater Seattle area.
I'd just like to give a brief description of our organization and cite
examples of how the inadequacies of the census have affected our pro-
gram.
The IDCHC is a community-based nonprofit health clinic which was
organized in 1975. Since that time, we have expanded our target pa-
tient population to include underserved individuals from throughout
the greater Seattle area, with primary emphasis on low-income, lim-
ited, and non-English-speaking Asians and Pacific Islanders.
I think we're very unique in that we have a bilingual capable of
speaking 12 different Asian languages and dialects. Presently, 92 per-
cent of our patients are Asian and Pacific Islanders and greater than
60 percent of them do not speak English as a primary language.
We've got some unique experience in dealing with this community
and recognize some of the cultural and linguistic factors that will
limit them from participating in the 1980 census.
As I said, in response to the communication and cultural needs of
our target patient population, we have developed a staff with a ca-
pability of speaking 12 different Asian languages and dialects.
Most recently, we've had to hire new staff to respond to the health
service needs of a new group of Asians, those being the Indochinese
refugees.
For the past year, Indochinese refugees have constituted greater
than 42 percent of our visits.
The undercounting of Asians in the 1970 census and the likelihood
of this occurring again in 1980 have serious implications for our
agency. Regarding Federal resource allocations, funding appropria-
tions to Washington State have been directly related to population
figures, and presently 70 percent of our agency's revenue is from the
Federal Government in the form of grants from the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare, as well as the community develop-
inent block grant program.
For planning purposes, our organization has had to utilize 1970
census figures, which were 5jgfljfi~~fl~~y understated, and we found
for some recent immigrant Asian groups, nonexistent. We're talking,
for example, of recent immigrants and especially the Indochinese
refugees.
We've developed our program based on the 1970 population figures
of the Asian-Pacific Islander communities and have discovered that
these estimate~s were far too conservative.
66-270 0 - 80 -
PAGENO="0050"
46
For 1978, we had 6,000 patient visits and projected for 1979 that
we would see 7,500 visits, a 25-percent increase in patient visits. We felt
that that would be a fairly optimistic planning projection, whereas
in actuality, in 1979, we experienced greater than 9,200 patient visits,
a 52-percent increase over 1978 levels.
`What has occurred is that our staff and facility resources have
become extremely strained as more and more individuals than origi-
nally projected are coming to our clinic seeking health care services,
and many people who need services are finding it extremely difficult
to obtain care that they need. For example, our appointment schedule
is now completely booked for several days in advance, leaving insuffi-
cient flexibility for emergency visits or necessary followup
appointments.
We're also finding it difficult that residents of the immediate neigh-
borhood for whom our clinic was originally intended are finding it
difficult to even obtain visits because of the additional workload our
clinic is experiencing.
Also, currently, there's a 5-week waiting period for a physical
examination, and that's causing quite a backlog.
In addition, other~ health agencies in the community have not ade-
quately responded to the increased Asian-Pacific Islander population,
partially because of the inaccuracy of the 1970 census.
This, too, has impacted our own particular clinic because of the fact
that we have a bilingual staff and this staff is constantly being requested
to intervene and provide interpretation assistance for non-English-
speaking agents at local hospitals and private physician offices.
As I stated, many of these requests are for services to Indochinese
refugees.
With increases in immigration of Asian-Pacific Islanders, particu-
larly among the refugees, the 1980 census will, in all probability,
result in another serious undercount. The language and cultural bar-
riers are the most significant reasons why Asian and Pacific people
will not be able to effectively participate and respond.
Hopefully, what I have told you today has given you a little bit of
information on the. immediately adverse impacts of the situation and
will enable the Bureau of the Census to develop better methods to more
accurately count Asians and Pacific Islanders in this year's census.
Thank you.
Mr. LowRy. I think we just missed, the city of Seattle just missed
having a community services office by about 10,000 people. I mean it
can easily add up, just the numbers you just talked about, and we've
got more than 10,000 in the city of Seattle.
Your point, we need to have a bilingual, at least a phone number and
an advertising system of some sort by which people can call and com-
municate and get answers from people that can handle the questions
correctly, back to the census.
Ms. WONG. And it's going to have to be multilingual.
Mr. LowRy. You're right.. multilingual.
Mr. GARCIA. Have all of you been contacted by the community service
representatives?
INo response.]
Mr. GARCIA. You haven't. I have found, overall, the community serv-
ice reps has really been one of the most important functions of the
PAGENO="0051"
47
Bureau of the Census, and I'm really going to encourage expansion of
that program because that's probably one of the most positive things
that has come out, the ongoing dialog that doesn't start the day before,
but it started quite some time ago, tO start to alert community groups.
You have a smile, Diane. Why is that?
Ms. WONG. I think it was supposed to have started a long time ago,
but I think in many instances it did not start a long time ago.
Mr. GARCIA. Oh, I understand. I don't mean a long time; about 1
year ago they kicked off.
Ms. WONG. Well, I think even 1 month ago it probably, in many
cases, did not start.
Mr. SANTO5. I think that one of the problems we're going to face is
that there are several agencies, John's agency and Diane's and Interim
and ACRS, and most of the people, when they get material in the mail
and they don't understand it, they're going to be running to our office
and we're going to be caught up doing the census.
Mr. GARCIA. Terrific. The more you fill out, the more I'm going to
appreciate your efforts, Bob.
Mr. SANTOS. Yes, but is there anyway that we could get compen-
sated, because we have a lot of other work to do, too.
Mr. GARCIA. You'll get compensated.
Mr. SANTOS. I think there should be a little flexibility, because in
hotels there are lobby areas and there are agencies that have space,
and if some of the testing or if the enumerators could be in one spot
and persons brought down in some kind of an order, that might help.
Mr. GARCIA. Just let me say one other point, if I may. One of the last
trial, the last trial census was taken in the city of New York in the
area of Manhattan called south of Houston Street, spelled the same as
the city of Houston, and that's where our Chinatown is. What we
found very interesting about that was that there were people there
who were noncitizens, Chinese noncitizens, who eventually got to work
for the Bureau of the Census because they found that they needed
them.
I just use that and leave that with you in terms of Asian-Americans
here on the west coast, that, you knbw, it has been done in New York.
It was done during a trial census.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you. The subcommittee will recess until 1 :30.
[Whereupon the subcommitte recessed at 12 :30 p.m., to reconvene
at 1 :30 p.m.]
AFTERNOON SESSION
Mr. GARCIA. The next panel will be special issues. Katherine Rickey,
past chairperson of the Planning Council on Aging; Gundjorg Sand-
vick, League of Women Voters; John Gilden, Displaced Homemakers
Network; Paul Dziedzic, Governor's Commission on the Handicapped
Dan Haley, independent living evaluation project, University of
Washington; and Anne Waltz, Washington Coalition of Citizens with
Disabilities.
Mr. LowRY. Thank you very much for coming. Katherine, wi'1 you
lead off?
PAGENO="0052"
48
STATEMENT OF KATHERINE RICKEY, SEATTLE-KING COUNTY
COUNCIL, DIVISION OF AGING
Ms. RIOKEY. I was introduced as Katherine Rickey, the vice chair-
man of the Seattle-King County Council Division on Aging. This
group is an advisory group to the area agency on aging for the Seattle-
King County area, and I am really speaking on their behalf rather
than the council at this moment.
We have a real concern about the aging, how to reach them, how to
bring services to them, and we are very anxious that this census be a
great success, because what the census is able to accomplish will enable
us to do better work in our community.
I want to discuss some of our ideas relative to how to reach these
elderly and the role that the Seattle-King County Division on Aging
will offer to play in this effort.
The census should target in its outreach effort about four special
groups of people: the minority elderly; the household elderly; the
single-resident occupant-those are the people who are living in hotel
rooms downtown or maybe even in the cardboard boxes under the
bridges here in Seattle; and, of course, there are the elderly who are
geographically isolated.
The minority populations have never been adequately counted here
in the Seattle-King County area. We knew that during World War II
when we discovered that there were many uncounted people of Jap-
anese origin in the community, whose families were taking care of
them, who were not receiving any public services of any description,
and they were exposed to the situation and some plans had to be made
for them.
Currently, apparently the same sort of a situation exists among the
new-coming people in this community. They don't want to make waves,
for one thing. For another, they look on government efforts as being
some interference in their private lives, and some of them are really
fearful of creating waves in the community.
We think that there are a couple of angles that you could use. The
Bureau of the Census should really work very closely with the mi-
nority elderly service providers and organizations to tap into this in-
formal communication network that we have in the community, and
it is also imperative that the Bureau of Census employ people who are
bilingual and bicultural so that the message can be carried to these
organizations and to the individuals who may have some contact.
We know that there is a growing Asian elderly population in the
Seattle-King County area. You may have addressed these problems
earlier today. I don't know. There are some 14 to 16 different cultural
and language groups here in our community. This is a little different,
I think, than it has been in the years past.
Now, the Seattle-King County Division on Aging is willing to assist
the Bureau by facilitating meetings with key minority elderly service
providers and organizations in Seattle and King County. It's one
thing that we can do to be of some help.
Then there are the elderly who are homebound. Of the l80,000-plus
persons who are 60 and older in the Seattle-King County area, it's esti-
mated that some 6 to 8 percent, that is 10,000 to 14,000, are permanently
homebound, and another 6 to 8 percent are partially homebound. As a
PAGENO="0053"
49
matter of fact, about one-half of all he disabled individuals in King
Couny are 60 or over.
I think what I have to say may apply to other disabled individuals
who have not reached age 60 as yet.
Many of these homebound individuals are also socially isolated and
are fearful of opening the door to strangers. Where to gain their con-
fidence, how to make it possible for them to make a good contribution-
to the census effort, I think, is a real problem.
The Seattle-King County's Division on Aging outreach program
specializes in dealing with this homebound aging group and would be
willing to provide technical assistance and training to identify and
relate effectively with the homeboun4 elderly.
I spoke of the single-room occupants. We don't know how many of
them there are. We just see them occasionally, but we do have some
contact. It's hard to have a contact wiih them because they're transients,
because of their very unusual lifestyles and some alcoholic and mental
health related problems.
Efforts to reach them must rely very heavily on cooperation with
the central city service provideis and informal gatekeepers, you might
call them, the hotel operators, for instance, emergency shelters, mis-
sions, food distribution centers, taverns, pool hall proprietors, and so
on. This is the best way we know of to get in touch with them.
Again, the area's Division on Aging's outreach program has devel-
oped some special expertise in serving this population and would be
willing to provide technical assistance and training to census takers.
I keep coming back to these offers but-
Mr. GARCIA. Has anybody ever taken you up on them ?
Ms. IRICKEY. Not yet, but maybe. We're still hoping. You see, the
area agency and the Council on Aging, for that matter, are pretty self-
serving about this, because if you can help us find out how many peo-
pie need our services, we can then get the support to provide them for
the community.
Mr. GARCIA. Well, we'll make sure, before you leave today, that
you're in touch with the people from the Bureau of the Census, and
I'm certain that they'll be only too willing to cooperate and send
whomever they have to send into your organization to give you a hand.
Ms. RICKEY. Thank you very much.
I want to go on and talk about the geographically isolated people.
King County has better than 2,000 square miles. We need to develop
a special way to meet some of these isolated people. We rely on the
informal support groups, such as churches, volunteer fire departments,
evergreen clubs, granges, and so on and again are offering through
our outreach program to assist the Bureau in making these appprO-
priate contacts.
I can mention our senior centers for the seniors who are able to get
out. They can be reached through that mechanism, and we have the
contact there to facilitate such meetings between the Bureau of Census
and the senior centers and service providers in the community.
In c1osing, I would like to encourage very strongly the Bureau of
Census to employ as many older workers as possible to be paid to con-
duct the census. This is an opportunity to positively fight age dis-
criminatiom which is so pervasive in our society.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Mr. Lowi~~. Katherine, thank you very much.
[The complete written statement of Ms. Rickey follows:]
PAGENO="0054"
50
Seattle-King County
Planning Council on Aging
400 YESLER BUILDING * SEATTLE, WA 98104 * (206) 625-4711
February 15, 1980
TO: Congressional Oversight Committee on the United States Census
FROM: Katherine Rickey, Vice-Chair of the Seattle-King County
Division on Aging's Planning Council
The purpose of my testimony today is to stress the importance of a vig-
orous outreach effort to ascertain the actual number of older persons
here in Seattle/King County and in communities throughout this county.
In the remainder of my testimony, I will discuss some ideas on how to
reach the elderly and the role that the Seattle/King County Division on
Aging is willing to play in assisting the U.S. Census Bureau's efforts
to contact older persons residing in this area.
I believe that the Census Bureau should target the outreach effort
toward minority elderly, the housebound elderly, single resident occu-
pants (SROs), and elderly who are geographically isolated.
1. Minority Elderly
Minority populations have never been adequately counted in the
census. Cultural and language barriers, coupled with a suspicion
of government, make this a particularly difficult population to
contact. The concept of census is also an entirely new experience
for many Asian people recently immigrated to this country. These
factors are often more acute within the minority elderly population.
Mailed census questionnaires are fraught with difficulties due to
literacy problems. Questionnaires and instructions should be trans-
lated into other major languages, such as Spanish, Chinese, Japanese,
Vietnamese, Cambodian, Korean, Laotian, and so forth. What is needed
is an extensive door-to-door canvassing effort. For this outreach
to be effective, it is critical that the Bureau of Census work
closely with minority elderly service providers and organizations
to tap into the informal communication networks in order to reach
this population. It is also imperative that the Bureau of Census
have bilingual and bicultural staff to reach and assist the minority
elderly populations. For instance, there is a growing Asian elderly
population in the Seattle/King County area representing 14 to 16
different cultural and language backgrounds.
The Seattle/King County Division on Aging is willing to assist the
Bureau by facilitating meetings with key minority elderly service
providers and orcianizations in Seattle and King County.
2. Homebound Elde~]y
Of the 180,000 or more persons 60+ in Seattle/King County, it is
estimated that 6 to 8% (10,800 to 14,400) are permanently homebound
and another 6 to 8% are partially homebound.
Many of the homebound elderly are isolated from the community and
are suspicious of persons coming to their homes and apartments.
PAGENO="0055"
51
The Seattle-King County Division on Aging's Outreach Program spec-
ializes in dealing with the homebound population and would be will-
ing to provide technical assistance and training to identify and to
relate effectively with the homebound elderly.
3. Single Room Occupants (SROsJ
Single room occupants generally r~efer to persons living alone in
hotels in downtown areas. A large percentage of this population
is elderly.
This is also a difficult population to contact because of transience,
unusual lifestyles, and alchoholic and mental health related problems.
Efforts to contact the SRO population must rely heavily on cooper-
ation with central city service providers and informal gatekeepers
such as hotel managers, emergency shelters, missions, food distribu-
tion centers, tavern and pool hall proprietors, etc.
Again, the Division on Aging's oujreach program has developed special
expertise in serving this population and would be willing to provide
technical assistance and training, to census takers.
4. Geographically Isolated Elder]y
King County has vast rural areas covering approximately 2,134 square
miles. The census needs to develop special strategies to contact
geographically isolated elderly relying on strong informal support
and communication systems found in churches, volunteer fire depart-
ments, granges, Evergreen Clubs for the elderly, and so forth.
The Seattle-King County Division on Aging, especially through the
Outreach Program, is familiar with these informal structures and
would be willing to assist the Bureau of Census in making appropriate
contacts.
5. General Elderly Population
In addition to mass media strategies, it is critical to work with
existing elderly service providers and organizations to seek their
assistance in identifying and cOmpleting census information for the
rest of the elderly population.
The senior centers provide an ideal community network with 32 centers
located throughout Seattle/King County to assist in the census
effort. Since the funding levels for senior centers, as well as
services, are tied to population-based formulae, there is positive
self-interest built into employing this strategy. The centers also
have the ability to recruit volunteers who might assist in contacting
the harder to reach elderly and in helping them complete census forms.
The Seattle-King County Division on Aging is willing to facilitate
meetings between the Bureau of Census and the senior centers and
service providers it funds in Seattle/King County.
I would also strongly encourage the Bureau of Census to employ as many
older workers as possible to be paid to conduct the census. This is an
opportunity to positively fight age ~Iiscrimination which is so pervasive
in our society.
Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony.
PAGENO="0056"
52
STATEMENT OP GUNDFORG SAND VICK, LEAGUE OP WOMEN
VOTERS OP SEATTLE
Ms. SANDVICK. I'm Gundjorg Sandvick, representing the League of
Women \Tote~ of Seattle.
While the league is represented on the complete count committee,
we believe that as a community organization, it is important to us to
come today to share with you both our compliment and our concerns.
We commend you for having these hearings in cities across the
country and providing direct communication, rather than filtering
letters or telephone calls through layers of bureaucracy. They are a
vital first step in meeting special regional need.
The league lauds the creation of the complete count committees
throughout the States, as well as the development of the National
Advisory Committee.
We are pleased with another first implemented this year, the use
of a second language in the census questionnaire. The league encour-
ages continued responsiveness to our cultural plurality.
The development of carefully planned strategies to meet the special-
ized needs of the transient portion of our society shows the creativity
that can come from our government. League supports this responsive-
ness to special needs.
The League of Women Voters was founded 60 years ago with a
commitment to equal representation and opportunity for all. Because
of our continuing commitment, we have the following concerns:
First: Every effort must be made to count all, including minori-
ties. The census is not just a count; it is a reflection of our people and
our needs. If the count is inaccurate, it affects the distribution of re-
sources to the local areas as well as representation in government.
Second: Human needs must be identified clearly before they can
be met by local or national institutions; therefore, we recommend that
the needs of the handicapped be identified by the census tabulation,
even if that. means an addendum.
We believe that this hearing process is a positive indication of the
Government's intent to make the 1980 census a true reflection of our
Nation's population.
Our commitment to equal representation and equal opportunity for
all provides support for this process.
Thank you very much.
STATEMENT OP MN GILDEN, REGION 10 DISPLACED
HOMEMAKER NETWORK
Ms. GILDEX. My name is Jan Gilden and I'm a housing resources co-
ordinator for the Region in 10 Displaced Homemaker Network.
Pm sure you're all wondering what a displaced homemaker is.
They're mostly women about, 95 percent, and the definition of a dis-
placed homemaker is a divorced, widowed, or abandoned person who
has not worked in the labor force for a substantial number of years,
but has, during those years, worked in the home providing unpaid serv-
ices for family members, and the purpose of the Region 10 Network is
to increase employment opportunities for these low-income female
heads of household, to monitor Federal and State legislation involving
PAGENO="0057"
53
displaced homemaker programs and to develop local, regional, and
national leadership utilizing displaced homemakers.
In order to obtain necessary funding for projects, to research infor-
mation and to document the needs of the displaced homemaker, it is
very essential that an accurate census count be taken of female-headed
households under the category of displaced homemaker.
Because of the high cost of housing, many displaced homemakers
are forced to live in shared housing arrangements with other unrelated
persons. For this reason, they may not be accurately counted in the
U.S. census.
A category entitled single female head of household would also be
very much in order to clarify the eligibility of that person for low-
income disadvantaged programs, such as CETA or HUD section 8.
Low-income female heads of household, both minority and nonmi-
nority, have traditionally been unrepresented in the planning docu-
ments by metropolitan cities. For example, in the city of Seattle, the
1980 housing assistance plan, there is no category for female-headed
households. Because cities do not have this category of female-headed
households, it is extremely important that the U.S. census data have
an accurate representation of this constituency, so that those of us
working in advocacy positions for low-income households can docu-
ment their needs for assistance.
Thank you very much.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you, Jan.
Mr. Ferber, on the female-head-of-household question, I notice, do
we have an inaccuracy?
Dr. FERBER. It's not really an inaccuracy, Congressman. There's a
great deal of concern expressed from a wide variety of people. We
dropped any head of household. There is no longer male or female or
any. The form can be filled out by any adult within the household and
anyone else listed in that family merely links in relationship to the
person filing it out, be it he or she or senior child in the household.
I certainly can appreciate the problem, but in an effort to address
what we heard from other groups was a majority notion of "head of
household" dropped that category entirely. I don't know if that will
work to your disadvantage or not.. Family relationships can be clearly
worked out from the form. WTe don't have, anything about anybody
being "head of household" for 1984.
Ms. RICKEY. Mr. Chairman, I have been oiven a question to ask.
Retired Federal employees, Federal Postal ~ervice, and military are
barred from census employment. Why?
Mr. GARCIA. I believe that not to be true, but again, I refer to
the distinguished congressional liaison for Bureau of the Census,
Mr. Mark Ferber.
Dr. FERBER. As a result of law, the military retired can, in fact,
participate in the census at no detriment to themself.
Federal civil service, under legislature concerned about so-called
double dipping, prevents a civilian Federal employee retiree from
drawing any money from a Federal source without having a conse-
quent reduction in the amount of their annuity, and we were simply
not able to work that out.
Mr. GARCIA. Can I ask the three of you a question? The three of you
represent organizations that have long histories. Has the Bureau of
PAGENO="0058"
54
Census been in touch with you, the community advisors been in touch
with you as to how you could help and participate and work with this,
the census of 1980 ?
The League of Women Voters?
Ms. SANDVICK. We have received information on how to apply but
no direct contact, other than the fact-
Mr. G~cM. Well, before you leave here today, would you be kind
enough to be in touch with the Bureau who work in this area, because
I believe that the three of you represent groups that we really need
very, very much, and if they haven't been in touch, I'm sure from this
point on, they will be.
Mr. Lowny. Jan, I'm very concerned about the question that you
raised in addition to the other question. On our displaced homemaker
programs, are Federal program funds related to a census count on
"displaced homemakers"?
]\is. GILDEN. Yes; they are. CETA title 3 is a displaced homemaker
program, and there is legislation that involves displaced homemakers,
and in order to get more Federal programs going and more services for
displaced homemakers, it's important to be able to document how many
in the community are in the same region. We're having a very, very
hard time with this.
Mr. Lowny. I wonder if that information is available from "length
of time from which paid for work." I mean, is there another category
on the form, I'm not familiar with the form, that may provide that
information? As you know, we're talking about a person who hasn't
been paid for work for a period of time. Is there anyway that can be
extracted?
Mr. MARTIN. The long form has the work history. The short form
does not.
Mr. LowRI'-. So if you had the long form, you would have, there
would be an identification on the long form. If there was some way to
process that in some way.
Mr. FERRELL. Do you code homemaker?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. FERRELL. So you would not get-
Mr. MARTIN. Work history.
Mr. FERRELL. That's what I mean, you would not code homemaker
as an occupation, so they would not get the information if someone
wrote in "Homemaker for the past 10 years," you would not get the
information that this woma*n is testifying.
Mr. LowRy. But you would have the information that they hadn't
been paid by some employer or something for that period of time.
1~fr. FERBER. You would get a category with work history showing
no pay and now this relationship of a woman filling out the house as the
adult of the household from which you could extract it, but I agree, I
think it would `be hard.
Ms. GILDEN. There's also, I think, many welfare recipients, female
single head of household, under 40, can also be claimed to `be displaced
homemakers. So it's a very large amount of the population.
Mr. LowRy. Thank you.
Katherine, one additional comment or question. I believe our State
receives $6.7 million in the Elder Americans Act which is based totally
upon the over age 60 income individuals, which was what you were
coming to in your testimony.
PAGENO="0059"
55~
Do you think that through the area agency and related organiza-
tions that you could help us promote getting a better census count on
this?
Ms. RIcIEY. Yes; I believe so, through these means that I have
suggested, which don't really reqUire too much, except some
coordination.
Mr. LOWRY. If we fail to get record of those individuals, it's frankly
going to be very costly to us.
Ms. RICKEY. That's true. Our aging population is increasing so
rapidly here in the State of Washington, that we want to try to keep
up with it if we can.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you.
May we have the next panel. I'm not sure who was able to make it
here on the next panel.
Al, would you like to lead off.
STATEMENT OF ALAN SUGIYAMA, CENTER FOR CAREER
ALTERNATIVES
Mr. SUGIYAMA. Thank you very mach.
I hope you don't mind but I am kind of running a little bit late,
so after I talk I will have to leave, but I will take your advice and
summarize everything that I've written down.
My name is Alan Sugiyama and I'm director for the Center for
Career Alternatives.
One of the things that I always like to do when I come to groups is
explain that I've been born and raised in Seattle so I am an American.
So no one has come up and ask me, "Which country are you from?"
it's one of these things I have a little bit of problem with. Every time
I go somewhere people say, "I know you're not American, so where,
come on, tell me." So I want to make~sure that people here realize that
there are Asians that live in this country.
Mr. LOWRY. There were over 106,000 in internment camps in 1942,
Americans.
Mr. S1~GIYAMA. That's true. I app~eciate all the work you're doing
on redress.
Mr. LOWRY. Well, that was the point. A little commercial here.
Mr. SiJGIYAMA. One of the things that we're really worried about is
that the social service needs and employment needs of Asian-Amer-
icans, both locally and nationally, have really been affected by the
misleading and inaccurate statistics that have been compiled by the
Census Bureau.
I guess really when we start highlighting things, we really want to,
we're really worried about some of the stereotypes that exist when we
take a look at statistics and we see that there's many times individuals
that are recording or responding back to the form so forth, highly
educated people.
Consequently, many times when we talk about educational pro-
grams, you say, "Well, why do you need educational programs when
Asian-Americans have the highest number of years of formal train-
ing?" But then its' really kind of funny when you take a look at other
statistics and you see like at the University of Washington Asian-
Americans have a 60-percent noncompletion rate, compared to 45 per-
cent overall.
PAGENO="0060"
56
So we really start worrying about programs and how they fund
them, based on some of the statistics that are shown by the census.
One of the other things that we're really kind of worried about also
is the individuals that are actually coming out and taking the census.
We're really concerned that these individuals are from those com-
munities, because I know that myself, my own family, even though
there was seven of us, we have never filled out the census forms, and
I think one of the problems is I don't blame people for not coming in
the neighborhood we grew up in.
I think it probably pretty consistent throughout the country that
if you don't get the individuals that are familiar with that neighbor-
hood, you're not going to get an accurate count..
We had people living in back of houses, in the basements, and so
forth, never being counted.
So we're really concerned that the individuals that are hired are
from the community and represent the individuals within that com-
munity, whether they're elderly, minority or what.
Also, I'm kind of concerned about maybe some of the tests that
actually are given at the-to be a census taker. I'm kind of worried and
concerned that may be there are individuals that are kind of scared of
tests, that don't take tests very good, and are we missing individuals
that can be very, well, potentially very, very good employees or census
takers. Are we missing those people by, let's say, not giving pretests or
any other kind of assistance with the testing that goes on. I'm kind of
worried about that.
Also, I'm kind of worried about some of the things, as you know,
things that are coming out on Federal spying, FBI spying and so
forth, about the accuracy and the confidentiality of the censuses, where
the concern is once you have all that material, where is it going, be-
cause it's really kind of funny that I myself was able to get some infor-
mation relief by the FBI concerning myself. It looked like a whole,
long resume of information they had, and I'm really kind of wonder-
ing where they got the information.
One of the mistakes they had was that I was foreign correspondent
or somethino, even though I had never left this country-excuse me,
foreign intelligence. I think it was based on my nationality. But I'm
really kind of worried about that confidentiality.
So the safeguarding, I hope they're really wondering who actually
does the safeguarding and who enforces it and monitors it.
In closing, I hope that the Census Bureau will provide really some
accurate training, sensitivity for people that are actually taking the
census, so we can assure that there are some safeguards at that level
and, also, that tl1ere be an accurate number counted.
Thank you very much.
STATEMENT OF MARIA BATAYOLA, ASIAN-PACIFIC
WOMEN'S CAUCUS
Ms. BATATOLA. My name is Maria Batayola and I represent the
Asian-Pacific Women's Caucus.
Our group is very concerned with the economic, political, and social
issues that affect Asian-Pacific women.
PAGENO="0061"
57
I think we are in agreement as to the significance of the census and
the fact that it will affect program planning, affirmative action, and
social service delivery to the different groups that are in need.
There are two target areas of criticism with regard to the 1980
census, and they are the printed material, the survey questions, the
format, the content, and so on, and the procedure of implementing the
said survey. I would like to address the latter.
There are immediate improvements that can be made to allay the
charge of undercounting minorities for this 1980 census, and I'd like
to make two suggestions. The first one is to assign appropriate bilin-
gual enumerators to community bilingual assistance centers with
significant numbers of concentration of non-English-speaking and
bilingual residents. That's possible to do and we still have the time to
do it.
The other is to practice affirmative action within the census staff
itself, particularly at the enumerator level.
At this point I have two questions to ask you. The first is, have the
exams been validated to assure that they are related to the job; and
the second half is, have the exams been validated to insure that they
are not culturally biased?
Mr. GARCIA. I think in both cases, I am finding more and more every
day that there is a certain discriminatory factor involved with that
examination. I have issued a statement to that effect. It's becoming
very clear to me that the people who we had hoped would come out of
the communities of this country would be the ones who count this com-
munity. It's turning out that the statistics are very clear that the peo-
ple who are passing the test are coming from the majority of America,
and the people who are failing the test are coming from the minorities
of America.
Between now and the day of the census, March 28, which is the first
mailing, I'm hopeful that we can get some adjustments into that exam.
I'll be honest with you. As the chairman of this subcommittee, I am
finding that that is an area that this subcommittee should have looked
into at least 6 months ago, and I'm going to accept the blame. I have
preached that the people who come from certain localities should
count those communities because it's easier for you to deal with Asian-
Americans than it is for me. You know the community better. You're
a spokesperson for them.
I am going to try and make it hopefully possible that we will let
the people from the community count the community. As it stands
right now, we are not getting the numbers that we need to cover. It is,
again, part of the bureaucracy of the èensus which doesn't really know
your community or my community or communities like ours. They
don't have the people there who really understand it.
Ms. BATAYOLA. OK. I feel that I understand the intent of what you
are saying, but I still don't feel like my question has been answered.
Mr. GARCIA. I couldn't be any clearer than that.
Ms. BATAYOLA. Yes, I understand. I was wondering perhaps if it was
the way I phrased the question.
Mr. GARCIA. No. The test, I will say to you, is discriminatory. The
test is not based or aimed at the people whom you are looking for to
pass the test, to count the community, you are looking to count. So the
test, as far as I am concerned, is discriminatory toward your commu-
PAGENO="0062"
58
nity. I am accepting the blame. Six months ago I should have exam-
ined that area much more carefully, and I did not and I assumed, I
took the word, and it is turning out that people-I have preached that
the people from the community should count the community and it is
not working out that way at all.
Ms. BATAYOLA. Would you like to hear the other half of my question?
Mr. GARCIA. Go ahead.
Ms. BATAYOLA. What actions will you be taking to be able to help
that situation along?
Mr. GARCIA. I must be frank with you. I don't know where we are
right now. I issued a statement 2 weeks ago, `based `upon complaints I
received from many members of the U.S. Congress, and no action has
been taken so far. I don't anticipate that any action is going to be
taken in the next week or two. I will tell you this. I am very angry,
very, very angry and very annoyed as to what has been taking place
with those exams. Those exams are aimed' and geared to a whole dif-
ferent type of mentality than the mentalities we need to count our
community in the hope of getting an accurate count.
Ms. BATAYOLA. I would like to suggest an interim or a.n alternative
mechanism of hiring be used. The process of test validation is indeed
a long one. It entails sample testing, and so on. At the same time, that
also says that we are not hiring the people we need to be able to
improve on our ability to count accurately.
Mr. LOWRY. Mr. Chairman, I was wondering on this question; the
test, I think somebody testified to earlier, is the third of three criteria,
maybe there are three criteria, for enumerators. It seems like there must
be a way in which to correctly factor the tests into the overall evalua-
tion. That is not really unusual in the other problems we have across
the country in which we correctly factor a written exam as to other
needs and criteria and perhaps we have a way in which to compensate
for this structural problem by doing that and still end up with the
goal of having people that are qualified to get to our objectives, which
are multilingual, et cetera, to get to them.
Dr. Ferber was kind of nodding agreement, too, I was glad to see.
Dr. FERBER. I think it should be pointed out in terms of job related
validity there has been an extraordinary program at the Bureau. I am
not an expert in the language of psychological testing, but I think we
can have for Congressman Garcia experts testifying that it is job value
to the extent of cultural and numistic bias; I would be the last in the
world to defend it as perfect, a perfect instrument. I was nodding
because the other two parts of the criteria. Minority members are
passing the test and the cutoff, 21 out of 54, is the floor which one goes
to. They are not ranked after that, so if 54 does better than 21 precisely
because of the reasons you said. If we are successful, a person living
in an enumeration district-which is the smallest district we have;
I am talking about 200, 300 houses-will (aJ live in that neighbor-
hood, (b) be culturally familiar with that area. You pass or you are
not in it. I grant that: I stipulate that. Once in, however, that passing
group is cut by, first of all, indigenousness, second, cultural familiarity,
and you pick out of the group that is left. Only when we are through
there do you start looking elsewhere, and if the number is inappro-
priate to the affirmative action goal for that number, we will test
further in that area to meet the requisite number as a minimum.
PAGENO="0063"
.59~
Ms. BATAYOLA. I understand the intellectual explanation. Two
threads are running through my mind. One is, how soon can those tests
be weighted so they can be adjusted accordingly, and the other is, as far
as affirmative action goals, we are basing those goals on the 1970 cen-
sus, which is supposed to be an undercount.
Mr. GARCIA. WTe have got to move on. We have about three or four
other panels that are to come on after you.
Ms. BATAYOLA. I understand.
Mr. GARCIA. The question has been heard by the members of the
Bureau of the Census. They will be testifying before this panel. I
would hope that the panel will resppnd to that question when it comes
before the subcommittee.
STATEMENT OP DAVE OKIMOTO
Mi'. OKIMOTO. Good afternoon. My name is Dave Okimoto. I am the
executive director of the Asian Counseling Referral Service, which is a
multilingual, multicultural mental health and social services agency
serving the Asian community of King County.
I am here today to talk about the importance of an accurate census
count and its effect on the mental health problems of the Asian
community.
As I am sure you are all well aware~ the census is used by numerous
groups to determine funding allocations. One of the programs funded
on this basis is the mental health program of Washington State. How-
ever, typically, Asians have been excluded from receiving services in
the community mental health center network because of language and
cultural barriers. Further, Asian mental health programs have been
provided only minimal funds to provide the appropriate bilingual bi-
cultural services. A lack of mental health services to the Asian com-
munity has largely been due to an insensitivity on the part of midlevel
and top-level bureaucrats to respond to these needs. In other words,
despite the fact that we have a fair amount of legislation to correct this
problem, somehow that does not become implemented.
Problems such as severe depression, suicide, marital, family dysfunc-
tion are but a few of the difficulties faced by the Asians in the mental
health area. These problems, coupled with language barriers, as well as
cultural differences, result in a very serious and complicated mental
health problem.
Additionally, as I stated before, the community mental health cen-
ters are unable or unwilling to provide the appropriate service.
However, when an accurate census count can be made, then the
count of the number of Asians represented in the population will
show, will hopefully show the magnitude of the problem. It is ex-
tremely important that provisions be made to insure equal access by
all to participate in the census.
If there is a lack of bilingual enumerators, which there a.ppears
to be at this time, as well as a lack of translated materials in the cen-
sus, then the same mistake will have been made once again. This
will effectively prevent a significant portion of the Asian community
from being counted, and also from mental services being provided.
This has the magnifying effect of not giving us a base from which
to advocate our needs and concerns.
PAGENO="0064"
60
On a. more down-home level, at the Asian Counseling and Referral
Service we have 20 bilingual staff who provide rnenta.l health and
social services. I know that on March 29, after those questionnaires
are received in various households, we are going to be enundated by
request.s from our clients to help them fill this out.
It is my hope that somehow the Bureau of the Census will be able
to respond to these needs in terms of insuring that all of our non-Eng-
lish-speaking clients will be able to participate fully in the census.
My one last remark that I would like to make is that I think there
is a serious omission in terms of ethnicity on the Bureau of the Cen-
sus form, and that is in regard to the Laos and Cambodian corn-
munity, which seems to me rather ironic in that the current policy of
the Federal Government is to take in approximately 14,000 addi-
tional refugees per month into this country, and yet on the census
form excludes two of the major ethnic groups that are coming in.
Thank you.
Mr. GARCIA. Ms. Cordova?
STATEMENT O~' DOROTHY CORDOVA
Ms. ConDovA. My name is Dorothy Cordova. I am director of the
Demonstration Project for Asian-Americans, a community-based re-
search group.
I am an American with a Spanish surname and I am told I am
in the Asian category, but I specifically call myself Filipino.
I represent a group which includes Cambodians, Chinese, Filipinos,
Japanese, Koreans, Laotians, Sarnoans, and Vietnamese for a start. The
only reason I say for a sta.rt is that these are the people that we should
get some kind of information on.
The Asian-American population in Washington State has in-
creased over 160 percent during the past 10 years. That is conserva-
ative. This information was acquired by using the 1970 U.S. census as
a data base, then adding the annual immigration figures put out by
the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
The U.S. census is but one of the working tools of my office, which
collects, documents, and disperses demographic and socioeconomic
information about Asian Americans in the Seattle, King County, and
Washingbon State area. Such information is vital to those Asian-
American agencies who must compete in an underdog position for
the limited funds froni the Federal, State, and city agencies who de-
mand and expect full documentation of needs and numbers.
Because most understaffed Asian-American agencies cannot fund
a full-time proposal writer, oftentimes other staff persons are pressed
to double shift in that position. They, in turn, will seek assistance
from agencies such as mine for quick, accurate, and sensitive sources
of specific Asian-American information.
Perhaps it was because DPAA had also conducted a number of re-
search projects that in March 1975 we, along with a number of
other community-based agencies, were invited to express to a delega-
tion of U.S. census staff from Washington, D.C., our concerns about
past census counts. I distinctly remember stressing the rapidly ac-
celerated rate of immigrants from Asia, South and Central America,
PAGENO="0065"
61
md even Africa. At that time, the huge influx of Indochinese refugees
~vas not really yet a reality.
~\Te told the group of experts that most of the new immigrants were
~elatively young people and that most came from populations that
lid not believe in zero population concepts. `We pointed out that many
iewly arrived people would share housing, either on a temporary or
;emipermanent basis, with relatives or friends, and that these peo-
?le who were now part of an extended family were likely to be over-
ooked in census counts. Studies in the Filipino communities on the
vest coast and Hawaii proved that tlWusands and thousands of el-
lerly Filipinos living in the Chinatowns or agricultural camps were
)verlooked in 1970, and we feared this oversight would be repeated
n 1980.
`We stressed the point that monolingual interviewers would not be
thle to retrieve vital information from reticent or shy immigrants with
Limited English skills. We urged the census people to begin gearing
~ip then in 1975 to hire people with bilingual capabilities in many of
:he languages of Third World people. It was with deep frustration
:hat I found out that many of our cautions went unheeded or were
Jealt with in a cursory manner. Although superficially committed to
iffirmative action, we are fearful that adequate numbers of bilingual
Lnterviewers will not be hired to collect important data from these
people of their own kind. We have been telling district census staff that
blie pie in the sky mailout/return methOd of collecting valuable census
information will not work with many groups of immigrants because
the questionaire is written in English and Spanish. We know that most
immigrants can't read English. `We are afraid that the cast-in-iron
rules and regulations that stipulate that interviewers work only in
their residential areas may not work in certain areas in our city, which
boasts sometimes as many different ethnic groups in a neighbohood
as there may be homes. Although it may `be too late to secure trans-
lated questionnaires, which would have been a very easy way to work
out the different language requirements, we request that your com-
mittee see that a' sufficient number of bilingual people be hired before
the census is completed.
Thank you.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you.
STATEMENT OP ~UN VAN DO
Mr. VAN Do. Good afternoon. My name is Sun Van Do, a refugee
from Vietnam.
I am speaking today on behalf of our Indochinese refugees who have
settled in the Seattle-King County area.
I am also a member of the city of Seattle county committee for the.
1980 census. I have attended several committee meetings since Decem-
ber 1979. These experiences have raised for me a number of concerns
regarding the problems of refugees which must be addressed in order
to insure a fair and complete account.
You and your committee have the ability and the power to help us
to solve some of our problems. Presently there are over 6,000 Vietnam-
ese, 1,800 Laotians, and 1,500 Cambodians residing in the Seattle-
66-270 0 - 80 -
PAGENO="0066"
62
King County area. Most of them have serious language barriers, due
to the lack of skills in English among the Indochinese refugees.
I am, therefore, making the following recommendations.
One: That a census form, posters, flyers, and proclamation be
translated into Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian languages.
Two: That the aid of the Indochinese community organizations
be enlisted to distribute flyers and put up posters.
Three: That arrangements be made for Indochinese community
leaders to make short presentations about the census on television,
radio broadcasting stations. The census touches everyone, and public
appearances of any sort will help bring the census closer to the people
of the community and in doing so, will make it more important to all.
Four: That every effort be made to assist the Indochinese refugee
community in providing their people with complete information
about the upcoming 1980 census. To accomplish this, the Census Bu-
reau should recruit Indochinese refugees from their respective com-
munities as enumerators or temporary appointees with the Bureau
of the Census. It is felt tha.t this would help to insure a more com-
plete and accurate count, which, after all, is the stated goal of the
1980 census.
This concludes my testimony. I would like to thank you again for
this opportunity to present a refugee perspective on the 1980 census.
Thank you.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you.
As to what Sun just said, and, frankly, what everybody has just
said, would it really be a form in the correct language that would
work, or would it be enumerators that went into the area? Listening
to you, I would still question the form even if written in the correct
language, when mailed out would be of limited value.
Ms. CORDOVA. As a research writer, I do know that when you mail
out questionnaires-and I don't understand the rationale that went.
out-the rule of thumb is that if about a third of them come back,
that is supposed t.o be good. Now, you figure that those are forms
where the majority of the people understand the language. If you
get a questionnaire that is in English, these people don't even know
what it says. They may just tend to overlook it.
We have already been warned by the census people that they are
going to have to hire enumerators with bilingual skills. They are
telling us that there are certain rules and regulations and that these
rules and regulations were already set. When I said cast iron, I meant
it. They said that there were already rules that people had set forth
in Washington, D.C., a long time ago, and they would not change
the rules and regulations.
We are saying that you are going to have to hire part-time people
because we know that if some of the information is not adequately
filled out, they are going to have to go out and retrieve the infor-
mation. Can you imagine the thousands and thousands and thousands
of interviewers you are going to have to hire because somebody wasn't
smart enough in the District of Columbia to figure out tha.t they
should have done it in different languages?
Mr. GARCIA. Just let me say this. In terms of the enumerators, we are
hoping that we will have the cooperation. Take my city, for example,
New York City. We have a large Greek community. We have a large
PAGENO="0067"
63
Chinese community in Chinatown. There is also a large Italian coin-
inunity. We are going out of our way to try and make sure that we have
the enumerators who are going to be back out in that community of the
same ethnic background as those persons who live in that community
and can speak the language.
I think in terms of printing the forms, and I am not going to quar-
rel with you, it just seems to me, to be able to print them in every pos-
sible language that exists presently ~ithin the continental United
States, I think it may be really an administrative impossibility. It may
be. If we have the enumerators who ha.~e the background and who have
the knowledge to speak the language, 1 think it has got to go a long
way. Thai:. is why, in terms of those o~f you who were here before us
today, and all those people who have testified, it is just so very impor-
tant that you as leaders of this community take the message back to
your respective communities and make certain that we have people
working on the census as enumerators who are going to be able to deal
v~ith just the problems we are talking about.
Ms. CoiwovA. If they pass the test.
Mr. GAI~cIA. If they pass the test; that is true. Dorothy, I must be
absolutely frank with you; that is the common denominator in terms
of everything we are trying to accomplish. If the numerators are not
sensitive to the needs of the community because we can't get enough of
them to pass the test, we are in dee~, deep trouble. You are right;
I can't quarrel with that at all.
Ms. BATAYOLA. What about the sugg~stion of Mr. T)o as far as trans-
lation of proclamations, brochures, media blitz in different languages?
Mi'. GARCIA. Well, I have tried to get the Bureau of the Census in
terms of the foreign language stations to put up the money to be able
to do that. They have really beaten me back in terms of that. I don't
know if you saw the McNeil-Lehr report, which I was on with the
Director of the Bureau of the Census, but I spoke specifically about
the question of the media and what it means. There is a large and vis-
ible community out there that may listen to the radio and constantly
know what is going on just by means of the electronic media. Wte are
not going to reach them through Ogilvie Mathe, which is the public
relations outfit that has been hired through the ad agency or the ad
council. It is a serious problem. I have~ fought this right down the line.
As I get closer to the census, I realize in so many areas that I have
just been knocked back and back and back. I am going to accept a lot
of that responsibility, but it is not going to happen again.
Ms. BATAYOLA. You are leaving me with the impression that the only
multilingual promotions that might be done are through those partic-
ular specialized ethnic radio stations and newspapers and so on. I
would like to stress the fact that the general media are accessible to
everybody, particularly as an aid in learning how to speak the lan-
guage. Perhaps that general approach should be taken to really do a
massive blitz. The TV stations and radio stations do provide free time
on the air.
Ms. CORDOVA. Yes, we will be doing that. The complete census count
recognizes-there is a committee that we have and we recognize that
we will have to hit all the major radio stations and everything because
that has to be done. We will be doing it so the people will understand.
Mr. LOWRY. I think there are things that we can definitely do to
PAGENO="0068"
64
improve on all of this, even within this census, so that we can do a
somewhat better job.
Ms. CORDOvA. One last question. Couldn't one of the top priorities, or
the top priority, later on if you find out you don't have enough enumer-
ators, be not that you pass the test, but that you be able to speak the
language and be able to communicate.
Mr. GARCIA. They say no to everything. The Bureau of the Census
says no to everything. We have found in Chinatown even after they
said no, no, no, they had no choice but to go and hire Chinese persons
who were noncitizens, but that was after they found that they had no
alternative.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you very much. We will now hear from Ms.
Vivian Caver, director of city of Seattle's Department of Human
Rights.
STATEMENT OP VIVIAN CAVER
Ms. CAVER. My name is Vivian Caver. I am the director of the city
of Seattle's Department of Human Rights, the local civil rights
enforcement agency.
The 1980 census is significant to many people for a wide variety of
reasons. Obviously, the impact of census data for purposes of deter-
mining eligibilty for revenue sharing money and other Federal fund-
ing is a paramount concern for all of us. No less important is the im-
pact the census will have on equal opportunity and affirmative action
over the next decade. I think that should be understood. Census data on
the racial composition of the population constitutes the core of almost
every civil rights enforcement function. I think that is what you have
heard from previous panels of ethnic minorities. Equality in terms of
participation in employment, housing, and government contracting is
measured against the touchstone of population figures. The history of
gross undercounting of ethnic minorities has already threatened many
volunteer affirmative action programs.
Legal precedents require that when population parity is reached,
affirmative action must end. Thus, goals for the employment of ethnic
minorities rely heavily upon the population figures. These goals apply
to all government contractors, the government as an employer, and
those businesses voluntarily attempting to overcome the effects of racial
discrimination and past discrimination.
Of equal significance is the role such data plays in the enforcement of
laws prohibiting discrimination. The enforcement of antidiscrimina-
tion laws has become a sophisticated business. Direct evidence of inten-
tional discrimination is becoming increasingly scarce. Statistical dis-
parity between the racial composition of an employer's w9rk force
and population figures is one legally recognized source of pi~oof of dis-
crimination. The Supreme Court has consistently emphasized the im-
portance of these statistical disparities in proving discrimination.
Further, institutional patterns of discrimination frequently can be
uncovered only through statistical comparison.
In an attempt to decrease the undercount of minorities in the 1980
census, I am urging this subcommittee to consider the following.
One: Are those who will be taking the census sufficiently trained to
deal with the factors which have contributed to the undercount of
minorities? Countless reasons for the undercount of minorities have
PAGENO="0069"
65
been established, ranging from the social embarrassment which the
questions may cause, to the negative experience of minorities with
government institutions, to the fact that minorities are more likely to
be renters than homeowners. Many of these reasons still prevail to-
day. The most effective way to minimize their effect on the count of
minorities is to insure, through adequate training and recruitment pro-
grams, that census enumerators are educated about, and sensitive to,
these problems and are able to work effectively with persons of diverse
ethnic backgrounds.
On this same point, it is also important that every effort be made
to remove the barriers between census takers and the minority popula-
tion. They must be accessible to, and perceived as part of, the com-
munities in which they are working. Locating their offices as close as
possible to these communities is critical.
I wonder if the Congress has really realized comparable worth and
equal pay. It appears that the range of salaries to employ the people
working on the census was not really considered in terms of getting the
caliber of people and people whO can deal with their ethnic com-
munities a fair share of the dollar. I think that should be looked at
by this subcommittee. I have looked at the salary range, and I am
appaled at the kind of work you are expecting out of the people who
would have to do this work, and the Equal Pay Act and comparable
worth were not considered.
Two: Will the so-called affirmative action data which is being
gathered fully meet the needs of those engaging in affirmative action
programs? That is my question.
As affirmative action becomes more refined and complex, so the
required supportive data becomes more complex. The need to identify
with more accuracy and distinction particular ethnic groups and
subgroups is pressing.
I hope this subcommittee makes a .conscious effort to survey the
entire range of governmental affirmative action requirements to insure
that census data is complete and responsh!=e to affirmative action needs.
In conclusion, I can only reemphasize the special significance of the
census to those who have been the historical victims of racial dis-
crimination. Only when we discover ~as a nation who we really are,
can we begin to insure equitable distribution of the benefits of our
society to all persons.
Thank you.
Mr. LOWRY. Dr. Spratlen?
STATEMENT OP THADDEUS H. SPRATLEN
Dr. SPRATLEN. I would just like to say, before I begin my presenta-
tion, that while many in the audience, I am sure, realize the importance
of this forum, I think it is especially important to say that for Seattle,
one of the lesser large cities in terms of absolute size, but with a quite
ethnically diverse population, it is certainly an important opportunity
to air some views and to express some concerns. We appreciate this
opportunity.
I would like to basically dispense with some or the testimony and
make some comments and a summary based on it. I would hope to
enter into the record the several pages of testimony, just in the interest
66-270 0 - 80 -
PAGENO="0070"
66
of saving time for the other members of the panel and others to
follow us.
The main point that I guess I would want to stress is that in the
1970's, throughout the 1970's, we blacks have been about 92 percent
represented. Officially the 8- to 10-percent range of undercount-and
that, of course, is even larger than that if you consider the young black
males between, let's say, 18 to 35. What I would say is that in addition
to doing all of the things that various individuals presenting testi-
mony have suggested, I think that ultimately we really need to start
thinking of responses beyond the marketing and promotion, beyond
all of the training and improved supervision and management, beyond
the grassroots interests and concerns. It seems to me that we have to
begin to recognize that for a variety of reasons, in a sense, the under-
count is going to be with us. I say that realistically mainly along the
lines of some of the points that Ms. Caver made.
There are simply built-in limitations that we may not find that
the 98-percent count or the 99-percent count that would be true for
the larger majority population is likely to be developed despite our
efforts, whatever they are. The statisticians would have a hard time
coming up with what is the maximum feasible count, given consid-
erations of cost and mailout and so on. So it seems to me that we
need to begin to look at two major categories of responses beyond
the management, the marketing, the promotion, and all of these other
things. That is a provision whereby adjustments and statistical pro-
cedures which are internally established in the census are really
applied.
Maybe what is more politically feasible is the development of allo-
cation formulas which would then take into account the statistical,
that is, the best information as to what is the actual count that is out
there. When public policy decisions are made, they should reflect that
methodology in those decisions. I say that simply because the under-
count, while it takes place in 1 year, is cumulative. So throughout the
1970's, whatever alloactions, whatever entitlements, those are multi-
plied 10 times over. So it just seems if we are ever going to get out
of the pattern, that some kind of adjustment must be made. It is
risky, it is controversial, it is going to need a lot of political leader-
ship and political advocacy. But somewhere along the line we need
to do as much as we can in these areas and to realize we have reached
our maximum in response. If there is still a shortfall, then we need
to make some other kind of response.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Lowny. Doctor, do you think that historically we have that
sort of an estimate capability of making an adjustment or projection
of what the true count would be?
Dr. Srn~&mEx. Oh, yes, even though, professionally, statisticians
disagree because of differences regarding how small a unit you could
adjust for. It is one thing if you are going to adjust on an SMSA
level, quite another if you are going to try and go all the way down
to an enumeration district. The error in potential count, you could
compound the error if you carry that too far. That is one of the rea-
sons that we don't get much support for it. Surely there are technical
limitations t*o it, but we just simply need to use what is available as
PAGENO="0071"
technology and, at least at the city level and possibly in some in-
stances, it may be cert~ainly a more accurate estimating procedure at
the tract level. But, you know, the smaller the unit, the more technical
difficulties will be involved in estthlishing error limits and so on. It is
just that we simply need at some level of piThlic policymaking to begin
to face up to what we can correct for and what we can't and do the best
we can to balance off across the board these considerations.
Mr. GARCIA. Doctor, before you turn over the mike, I couldn't agree
with you more. I as recently as last week had a conversation, several
conversations, with the Director of the Bureau of the Census. We dis-
cussed the entire question of adjustments. Adjustments have been made
before, and whether they have been made in the State of Florida or
the State of Oklahoma, they have been made.
We met, in our testimony in chicago, a professor from the TJni-
versity of Chicago and interestingly enough, the story made the front
page of the Chicago Tribune. I don't remember if he was a demogra-
pher or not, but he said there were many instances where we don't
even have to take a census. In many instances the Bureau of the Census
can almost to a point of absolute accuracy come up with the statisti-
cal data in each one of the communities. I agree, and especially those
of us who come out of urban centers, they are not going to undercount
the rural areas and they are not going to undercount the suburban
areas, but they sure as hell are going to undercount the urban centers,
and in the urban centers is where the action is, as far as I am
concerned.
So your statement is really on target. It is something that we have
been fighting for. As I get closer and closer to census day, I will tell
you that I become more and more frustrated because I see so many
things that the Bureau of the Census has just not complied with. I am
glad that we are having these hearings. I am glad that these points
are being made. They will be part of the record. That record will be
there to determine and make sure what we are going through in 1980
and we don't go through again.
[The complete statement of Dr. Spratlen follows:]
PAGENO="0072"
68
THE CENSUS UNDERCOUNT OF THE BLACK POPULATION--
UNDERSTANDING AND REDUCING NONCOOPERATIONk
Thaddeus H. Spratlen
Professor of Narketing and
Associate Director, Black Studies Program
University of Washington
In 1970 the U.S. Census count of the black population was
22.6 million. If all blacks had been counted the number would
have been at least 2 million higher. Thus, the numbers used
throughout the 1970's to allocate funds, redistrict legislative
boundaries, and otherwise make population-based decisions affect-
ing blacks included only about 92% of the actual number of black
Americans. Similar levels of undercount have existed for quite
sometime. As a local example, assume that the percentage of the
undercount in Seattle was the same as the national average, the
city's black population should have been about 41,120 instead of
the 37,828 that appears in the official records.
Nationally, an estimated 1 out of every 12 or 13 blacks ~eaoe
missed in 1970. An even higher proportion of young black males
was missed in the census taking process of 1970 and in earlier
years as well. For the total U.S. population the ratio was only
about 1 out of 30 (or about 3% of the population. A major
challenge for 1980 is clearly to greatly reduce the undercount
of the black population.
*
Testimony presented to the Subcommittee on Census and Popula-
tion of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, U.S. House
of Representatives; Robert Garcia, Chairman; at Seattle, Washington,
First Baptist Church Auditorium, February 15, 1980.
PAGENO="0073"
69
The Census Undercount of the Black Population, Spratlen Page 2
THE POPULATION UNDERCOUNT AS A NATIONAL PROBLEM
~hen the undercount is as large as it is for blacks and other
ethnic minority groups it clearly represents a serious national
problem. It is large with respect tO absolute numbers and even
larger in terms of the public policy losses or other consequences
involving the use of Census numbers. Asaresult of the under
count, substantial portions of the black population, particularly
those living in large inner city areds are not properly repre-
sented in legislative bodies which are apportioned on the basis
of Census data. In numerous governm~ent programs, budget alloca-
tions cannot be made accurately. Reports on public television
(McNeil-Lehrer Report) and public statements in the mass media
have estimated that for every indivi~dual not counted, a city
loses $100 or more in federal entitlement. In the aggregate,
dollar amounts are quite large. A figure of $50 billion is used
for the amount of Federal funds dist~ributed to state and local
governments which are based principally on Census population data.
For even large cities as much as five percent or more of the total
budget may be from such sources. State governments, school dis-
tricts, and other public agencies make additional billions of
dollars available on the basis of Census data. Private industry
marketing plans and innumerable academic and public policy research
projects rely primarily or heavily on Census data.
These examples suggest that the stakes are quite high regard-
ing the undercount problem. Moreover, the problem is also sub-
stantially ethnic/racial and socio-economic in nature. The pre-
dominant groups which are grossly undercounted are racial/ethnic
PAGENO="0074"
70
The Census Undercount of the Black Population, Spratlen Page 3
minorities. The poor, those whose primary language is not English
(especially recent immigrants, aliens and refugees), and those who
are transient are the additional groups which are likely to be
missed through Census enumeration efforts. Yet it is precisely
these groups which rely heavily on public service or public sector
programs for a significant part of their economic and social well-
being. Some are public-sector dependent for a variety of services
and income transfers as well as for other resources from all
levels of government. By being grossly undercounted, the cities
in which they live will get less in the way of resources to meet
their needs.
MAJOR CAUSES OF THE CENSUS UNDERCOUNT OF BLACKS
Any discussion of the causes of the undercount of blacks re-
lies heavily on speculation and reasoning from general survey re-
search in the inner city. Fundamentally, the causes reflect diffi-
culties of obtaining cooperation or compliance from adult household
members. Although the Census is mandatory, presentations and re-
quests made for participation must be conducted much like any
other voluntary request for information. Unlike the Internal
Revenue Service and filing of income taxes, there is simply no
feasible way of enforcing the mandatory aspects of the Census.
Moreover, there is no external verifying source as is the case
with income.
Generally, the major causes of the undercount can be placed
under three broad headings: technical/statistical causes; social/
- eCo~lomjt causes; and situational/environmental causes. Included
PAGENO="0075"
71
The Census Undercount of the Black Population, Spratlen Page 4
under the first category are all aspects of identifying house-
holds or living units correctly, errors in clerical or other
areas of data processing as well as related administrative pro-
cedures, particularly regarding mailing list errors. However,
such technical/statistical sources of undercount are rather
small in comparison to the other two categories of nonresponse.
Social/economic causes and situational/environmental
causes have a much greater impact on noncooperation. They are
summarized in Exhibit 1.
Based on the factors outlined in Exhibit 1 it seems clear
that there are very diverse and complex reasons for noncoopera-
tion in census-taking. Some are assumed. Others are transferred
from one context to another. Many relate to simple disbelief
that the process is truly objective, confidential and positive.
Thus, even though there has never been a proven case of a census
employee misusing the information obtained in census-taking, in-
dividuals may still not trust enumerators.
In view of the magnitude and complexity of the problem,
several types of policy responses are appropriate. Major cate-
gories of responses are discussed briefly below.
RESPONSES TO NONCOOPERATION
The U.S. Census Bureau has long been involved in a massive,
coordinated effort to reduce the level of undercount among all
groups in the nation. It has devoted resources to building grass-
roots support for a more accurate count in 1980. It has enlisted
the support of the Advertising Coui~icil, the most influential
PAGENO="0076"
72
The Census Undercount of the Black Population, Spratlen Page 5
EXHIPIT 1
CAUSES OF NONCOOPERATION:
SOCIAL/ECONOMIC AND SITUATIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL
Social and Economic Causes
1. Social Perceptions
Lack of awareness or
acceptance of promised
confidentiality;
Preference for with-
holding personal and
sensitive information.
2. Social Embarrassment
Requested information may
represent departure from
prevailing norms as in re-
lationships of household
members, employment status
last week, etc.
Language proficiency and
resentment of going
through an hour long pencil
and paper exercise (for the
long form).
3. Home Ownership/Change
of Residence
Higher proportion of
renters; renting involves
more frequent change of
residence.
4. ~ppersonal Nature
of Census Taking
Difficulty of establish-
ing rapport, trust and
confidence with enumerator.
Environmental/Situational Causes
1. Encounters with Public Sector
Transfer of negative encounters
with public authority figures
to Census data gathering;
Surfacing of latent resentment
of public intrusion to obtain
personal information.
2. Lack of Visible Benefits
Disbelief that more accurate data
will increase the availability of
funds for the benefit of the black
community;
Belief that allocations would not
be made to benefit the black commu-
nity.
Reactions to past patterns when in-
tended benefits did not accrue to
the black community.
3. Demands and Stresses of
Daily Living
Coping with daily demands may in-
volve more reflection on inadequate
plumbing, too few rooms, hassles
over insurance than an individual
would care to do.
4. Life Style Variations
Irregular work schedules and ab-
sence from home in connection with
personal problems may interfere
with census-taking process.
PAGENO="0077"
73
The Census Undercount of the Black Population, Spratlen Page 6
public service organization in the industry, obtained the endorse-
ments of professional athletes as well as other highly visible
and credible individuals in efforts to promote acceptance and
cooperation. As represented by extensive public testimony there
is a broad base of community concern which has been generated in
response to the undercount problem. In summary form basic re-
sponses can be described along the lines presented in Exhibit 2.
Only broad outlines are possible in such an overview of the
problems surrounding Census population undercounts. The major
policy questions are at least identified. Workable responses
regarding various adjustments are probably not ready for imple-
mentation. Also the lead times for publishing the data may not
permit such adjustments of the 1980 results. Yet underfunding
and underrepresentation do need to be corrected. Unless and
until they are those traditionally disadvantaged and discriminated
against in most other areas of life will continue to be less
well-off as a result of the undercount.
CONCLUSIONS
All feasible means of reducing the undercount of the black
population deserve the interest and~ support of elected officials
and community leaders in all segments of society. The issues to be
resolved are political as well as technical; social as well as
economic. Leadership combined with~ the commitment to and invest-
ment in reducing the undercount can provide solutions to one of
the nation's most serious undercount problems. Blacks deserve
more than 92% of the government funding and political representation
which we now receive.
PAGENO="0078"
74
The Census Undercount of the Black Population, Spratlen Page 7
EXHIBIT 2
BASIC RESPONSES TO THE UNDERCOUNT PROBLEM
~~it ion
P~py Considerations
1. Recognition
1. Generally re-
1. Mainly
and Understand-
flected in efforts
requires admin-
istrative
ing of the
of the Census
and commit-
ment of
Causes of the
Undercount
Bureau, elected
officials, mass
resources for commu-
nications, cooperation and
related
Problem
media, and commu-
nity leadership.
organizational
activities.
2. Marketing
and Promotion
2. Census Bureau
staff support for
2. Essentially the same as
in #1 above.
of the Census
public information
and community re-
lations. Work of
the Advertising
Council and media
sources.
3. Increased
Effectiveness
3. Direct and per-
sonal representa-
3. Relatively expensive but
essential for
in the Selec-
tion of the Census
successful
field
tion, Training
Bureau at the
management the
undercount
and Supervision
point of data
of Enumerators
collection.
4. Intensive
Follow-Up
4. Enumerator
callbacks for
4. Essentially the same as
in //3 above.
Procedures
achieving co-
operation, veri-
fication, etc.
5. Adjust
Data to
Reflect
5. Public policy
application of
Census Bureau
5. Technically complex, highly
controversial and subject to
wide disagreement
Undercount
estimating pro-
among pro-
fessional
Levels
cedures to
measure probable
undercount.
statisticians; needs
public debate on its advantages
and disadvantages.
6. Develop
6. Combines
6. Controversial, but addresses
Compensatory
Census population
underfunding and underrepresen-
Atlocation
methodology with
tation issues; needs
Formula for
funding and re-
political
advocacy and
at all
Population-
districting pro-
support
levels in the
Based Policies
gram goals.
PAGENO="0079"
75
STATEMENT OP MICHAEL ROSS
Mr. Ross. Well, again, I would like to echo Dr. Spratlen's comments.
I, as a citizen of Seattle, appreciate Congressman Garcia's bringmg
these hearings to Seattle and giving our community an opportunity
to have some input. I would also like to thank Congressman Lowry for,
I assume, being of some persuasion in encouraging you to come.
Also, for the sake of brevity, I have a very short statement that I
would just like included in the record, and I would just like to make a
couple of observations beyond my written statement.
I, too, see the futility in achieving 100 percent count in the minority
community, and in particular, the black community. At least in Seattle
we have the ability without the count to deal with the existing data
that is fairly accurate, and to come up with something that is fairly
close. It is not taken by enumerators or mail-ins, but I do think we can
do this by even a greater effort in the community service end for the
1990 census. For the first time in my memory, I have seen minorities
hired by the Census Bureau in the Community Service Division who
have gone out and done outreach with minority communities to the
extent that probably more people are involved in making sure that
there is the most accurate count possible in the respective communities.
I don't think that is enough of an outreach effort. I think that the Bu-
reau must the next go-round add some more people and do a better job.
Frankly the efforts to involve àommunity groups, civic groups and
organizations that are based in minority communities, that effect
should have begun strenuously 6 months ago, rather than getting this
close to the census, actual census count, to involve organizations such as
mine.
Finally, a couple of comments. 1 am concerned about minority busi-
ness and its viability as a means of solving some of the problems in
this country, both economically and in terms of employment. The cen-
sus data becomes very important in terms of getting a fix on where mi-
nority business is at. Also it provides data in which to establish some
reasonable goals that State and local government are required under
their various Federal grants to have MBE program. We are wrestling
with that now for the city of Seattle's City Council, an ordinance that
says in effect that we shall establish some goals to make sure that the
MBE dollar amounts get out.
Finally, I am concerned about political representation. Again lo-
cally our State legislature uses the census as a means of redistricting.
On a local level, our county council is required by county charter every
10 years to reshape the districts based upon the census. The one man
one vote Supreme Court decision has been further amplified by case
law saying that minorities cannot be gerrymandered out, they are en-
titled to one man, one vote. That is why I think it is very important
that we do get as accurate a count as possible.
If you have any questions, I would be glad to address them.
Mr. LowRY. Mike, thank you. We met this morning on one of those
business enterprises. What I am concerned with, and you mentioned it,
is the supervisory positions. We have at long last come to a recognition
of the minority problem. I think 70 percent of our supervisory posi-
tions in our two Seattle District offices are minority at this point, but
what we have to go further on is how we get the enumerators, how we
PAGENO="0080"
76
get the people hired that are really going to do the job and carry that
off We are going to need everybody's help on it.
Mr. Ross. That is where there needs to be a beefed-up effort with
outreach. Mr. White from the Urban League and myself and other
people want community-based organizations. Mr. Baraba came out
and visited us. That was the first time that all of us had gotten together
in one room and attempted to work out some coordination amongst
ourselves and some dialog to make sure that the conmuimty was in-
formed of employment opportunities, encouraging them to become
enumerators.
I would say this, though, Congressman Lowry, I was a little disap-
pointed that the manager of the south district office was not a minority,
which is where the biggest concentration of minorities are. The next
go-around, if you are still in Congress or in the Senate, I would hope
that you might do something about it.
Again, I think the solution to that is a.n earlier beefed-up outreach
effort so that people like myself can begin to say here are the positions,
these are important, this is where you go, the tests you have to take,
et cetera.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you.
STATEMENT OP SPRUIELL WHITE
Mr. Wiirru. Chairman Garcia, Congressman Lowry, committee staff
members, my name is Spruiell White and I have recently begun to
work in this area as president of the Seattle Urban League.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make this presenta-
tion before you today.
As has been the case with other speakers that you have heard, my
interest and the interest of t.he Seattle Urban League Board of Direc-
tors and staff and constituents is to let you know of our keen interest
in supporting the efforts of the Congress and the Census Bureau in
achieving a complete 1980 census count.
To that end, our local Urban League affiliate is participating with
the Mayor's Complete County Committee in Seattle, our agency offices
are being used as census employment testing centers, and we do act
as an advocate of the census process with our participants, staff and
volunteers.
* You, of course, are aware of the National Urban League interest
and participation in assisting the Census Bureau in resolving many
of the issues that have come before you today.
Before addressing the issue of specific concern to the Seattle Urban
League, I would like to indicate that we do support and align our-
selves with comments made by previous speakers today.
Our concern about the census process follows closely on the com-
ments made by Dr. Spratlen and take the form of a request. That
request, quite simply, is to ask your committee to do two things. First,
to encourage development of a Census Bureau procedure that would
derive local undercount estimates, and, second, to use those estimates
as a basis for allocation of public monies to localities.
Currently our understanding is that the Census Bureau does have
a procedure that yields data about undercount rates for specific age,
sex, and race categories on a nationwide basis, but that these data
PAGENO="0081"
77
are not used in determining the amount of moneys awarded to a
particular locality.
Since 1970, the Census Bureau has argued that use of this national
procedure would not be appropriate for individual localities since the
estimate of the undercount would not be equitable to every jurisdiction
throughout the country. Our feeling is that until a better and more
sophisticated method of determining local undercount is reached, it
is possible to take an interim step that would provide some fiscal relief
to localities where an undercount is known to exist.
\Ve believe that a local estimate of the undercount could be derived
from the existing Census Bureau formula if it were treated in a way
similar to the poverty index. As you know, the current poverty index
does not adjust for the different costs of living in every local juris-
diction. However, it is still used as a national standard for the allo-
cation of funds to localities. Further, it is used at the same time
research is being conducted to develop a more accurate way of
determining local levels of poverty. We would request that census
undercount estimates be applied in the same way.
In closing, I would like to say that we do appreciate and under-
stand how difficult it will be to implement a recommendation such
as this one. But we feel at this time that it is more important to make
some adjustments for the underc9unt as soon as possible rather than
to engage in prolonged debates and research about how those adjust-
ments should be made and at what level.
Thank you.
Mr. LOWRY. I was just informed, Mr. White, that the National
Urban League, I believe, had utilized this type of an estimate pro-
gram on revenue sharing in 1976. Were you familiar with and worked
with that program?
Mr. WHITE. Since 1975 Rober~t Hill, who works in our national
offices, has attempted to work very closely with the Census Bureau
in getting them to adopt what the National Urban League describes
as its synthetic method. That method employs the Census Bureau
formula for the undercount and applies it to localities and certain
assumptions are made in its use. One of the assumptions is that it
won't be equitable in every jurjsdiction, but we feel that enough
commonsense can be used in the application of the formula that we
know there are areas that are more undercount prone than others.
In fact, we estimate undercount to be at 8 percent for blacks na-
tionwide. That is a useful way tO apply it. In Seattle you might not
have as great a percentage but in Chicago you certainly might reach
a level of 20 to 35 percent more. It is really the use of one's best judg-
ment and also the available formula that is tested. It certainly won't
be accurate in terms of reaching the full level of undercount, but
it won't miss anybody and it is certain not to provide adjustments
that aren't needed and cannot be documented to exist.
STATEMENT OP TOM ELKMANN
Mr. ELKMANN. My name is Tom Elkmann. I am a senior planner
for Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center and I too would
like to reinforce the comments that were made earlier as regards
PAGENO="0082"
78
the acknowledgment of undercount and some system of dealing with
that aside from simply making greater efforts to do outreach.
Albeit that those programs that encourage better marketing, en-
courage more public education are necessary and important, there
has to be something in the interim that deals with the allocation
of public funds based on an acknowledgment of undercount.
Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center, SOIC, is 70 per-
cent funded through CETA program funds. Subsequently under
current statutes 50 percent of our funding is dependent upon demo-
graphic data. A census undercount is a very, very sensitive issue
with us.
Mr. GARCIA. In 1970 when we took the last census, CETA was non-
existent. Between 110W and 1990 we don't know what other programs
are going to be developed. When we failed to participate in the 1970
census, we really failed not only in terms of the politics of the 1970
census and what it was meant to be, but what it has meant since that
point when right after 1971 with the advent of revenue sharing and
every other fiscal formula tied into this so that not only do we know
what we have now, we know what we have now, but we don't know
what is going to happen during the decade of the 1980's as far as the
U.S. Congress is concerned. I think the fiscal formulas are going to
escalate, not deescalate, but escalate. That is why it is really important
when you talk about the CETA programs to know they were non-
existent in 1970.
Mr. ELKMANN. Absolutely. Because of the allocation problems in.
that and CETA being directed as it is to the low income and to the
minorities and to those long-term unemployed, those are the people
that are undercounted. Subsequently the program that is aimed at them
is most dependent upon them and directed to them is not allocated
on the basis of where they really are. It is a very important thing that
the census data takes that into account and that the Federal Govern-
ment take that into account in allocating funds based and targeted to
people who are prone to being undercounted.
The recommendations have been made about allocating, providing
an allocation based on the estimate of the undercount to be seconded by
our organization. In the interim that is the best solution that we can
conceive of. Taking a look past that point and dealing with the prob-
lem of marketing the census per se and the problem of not hiring people
from the jurisdictions that are actually involved in the undercounting,
we, as a training organization, feel that one of the primary reasons
that that is the case is there hasn't been adequate preemployment train-
ing of census takers to deal with that problem. We would be interested
in seeing a national program prior to the census, even if it is short-term,
implemented that would occur like a CETA program and would train
census takers to meet either the test, like we do with adult education,
the C-ED, or to pass the census test, if that is what it requires to reach
the people that we are not now reaching, then let's implement some-
thing that does that and does it in a systematic way.
Mr. GARCIA. We recently had a hearing in the city of Baltimore. The
city of Baltimore in the summer of 1979 took CETA workers. Do you
know what they were doing, Tom? They were going in and out of the
buildings in the. inner city checking as to who lived where, these are
young people now, checking as to whether the apartment was vacant or
PAGENO="0083"
79
whether there were tenants, how many people were living there, and
all done by children and all under the CETA guidelines. The city of
Baltimore is probably the most advanced in terms of looking toward
the 1980 census. They were working on it in 1979. It is all related
exactly to what you are saying. I think the mayor of that city was
obviously so far ahead of everybody else. You can bet that Baltimore
will get a fair count based on what you are talking about.
Mr. ELKMANN. I think particular with CETA programs aimed at
youth who live in the neighborhoods and who know who lives where
in the neighborhoods, those are the kinds of programs that certainly
can be used. What those individuals need is adequate training so that
they can fill out the forms and so that they are filled out accurately
and so that they are reported accurately. It is not a problem of their
familiarity with the neighborhood or the ethnics or minorities that
are there or the language or the people that are there, it is a matter
of providing them with adequate training to do the job that is of the
caliber that the Census Bureau requires and we all want. When you
are talking about millions and millions of dollars allocated based on
that, it is imperative that some program similar to that be initiated.
I will reserve the rest of my comments. If you have any questions,
I will be glad to entertain them.
Mr. GARCIA. Just about all of you spoke of the question of the ad-
justment. It is interesting that the black advisory group that has been
working with the Bureau over the last several years, that their big
complaint has been the question of an adjustment. The Asian group
has had the question of what categories to break the Asians down
into, very specific individual categories. The Hispanic advisory group
was fighting for the question of bilingualism as it was related to the
census, but one of the things this subcommittee is doing in preparing
their report, one of the reforms that we are going to be pushing for
over the next decade is that the various advisory groups, the three
principal ones being black, Hispanic, and Asian-Americans, that they
be formed as a committee and that they be funded appropriately so
that they can function over the next decade and that it not be just
window-dressing, they walk them in and walk them out, but that they
actually have staff and be in a position to really make some meaningful
changes at the Bureau of the Census over the next decade.
I cannot respond right now tO what is going to happen in 1985 ~t
the mid-decade census. I really don't know. We haven't formulated
exactly what is going to go into~ that. It would be premature for me
to say anything. I can assure you that this past year has been a tremen-
dous experience for me personally in terms of how it relates to us as a
community. Any way that you feel I can be of some help, I am ready,
willing, and able to cooperate, as well as the Subcommittee on the
Census and Population. I would hope that you would go back to your
respective communities, and the big push has to be now to count every-
body and that everybody understands the importance of the census as
it is going to affect us over the next decade.
Dr. SPRATLEN. If I may, just to put on another hat before leaving,
in response to communications with one of your staff persons, I was in
touch with the local president `of the NAACP, who sends regrets that
he was unable to actually present testimony. But in our conversations,
their organization is very intimately involved in outreach through a
PAGENO="0084"
80
variety of communications, bulletins, workers, and certainly I am sure
if he were here, would speak in support of many of the concerns that
have been expressed.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Lowny. Thank you.
STATEMENT OF DR. JOE GALLEGOS
Dr. GALLEGOs. My name is Joe Ga.llegos. I am a professor of social
policy at the University of `Washington, School of Social `Work.
I am here on behalf of the State chapter of the National Association
of Social `Workers, which includes among its members in the State,
1,500 professionals employed in hundreds of public and private health
and welfare organiza.tions serving the people of the State.
Minority issues are a priority for this association in the State of
`Washington and more broadly in the Pacific Northwest. These concerns
of the association are for all minority groups. However, my testimony
is focused upon social policy implications of the census for the Nation's
Northwest Hispanic population. Much of what is presented is applica-
ble to other minority groups as well.
The link between population count and dollar appropriations for
social services and mental health services is obvious. `What is less obvi-
ous is the critical importance of the changing and unchanging circum-
stances of the Northwest Hispanic.s. As a Chicano resident of the
Northwest since 1943, and being one of the earlier settled migrant fam-
ilies, I haye seen a number of changes in the past 10 years. I have
seen the esta.blisthment of the Nation's only private Chicano college in
the Northwest, the establishment of a number of Hispanic social serv-
ices, and more recently the establishment of the Northwest's first and
only Hispanic mental health agency. Bilingual education programs
have been successfully implemented in the Northwest. Yet in spite of
these developments, the expanding Hispanic populations create needs
`w~hich exceed these meager resources.
Of critical importance in the unchanging situation of the North-
west Hispanic is that in spite of the progressive civil rights legislation
and affirmative action, et cetera, the Hispanics remain dispropor-
tionately represented among the Nation's poor, unemployed, under-
employed, undereducated, and underserved. The Northwest Hispanic
situation is not different than the national situation in this respect.
Recent research demonstrates that Hispanics underutilize tradi-
tional mental health and social services. The cause of this situation has
been attributed to such factors a.s lack of accessibility and inappropri-
ateness of intervention modalities.
Crucial to the documentation and further research to develop solu-
tions to these problems is the appropriate count of population. In the
words of one of my students, How can we answer the question of need if
we can't identify the victims?
Hispanic services and agencies are constantly engaged in the proc-
ess of legitimizing population counts for funding purposes, but also
need adequate demographic data to evaluate the effectiveness of our
own interests. One exa~mple of the direct and germane linkage of the
population count to the formulation and implementation of social
policies and services lies in the current portion of the national His-
PAGENO="0085"
81
panic initiatives which address bilingual service delivery. The notion
stems from the constitutional guarantee for equal opportunity which
established the Bilingual Education Act. This notion is being applied
to social services and mental health delivery, the notion that would
compel areas with 5 percent non-English-speaking or limited English-
speaking populations to provide bilingual staff and services. Clearly
the importance of the census count and Hispanic social policy cannot
be overestimated.
A final point must, however, be made with regard to the inadequacy
of current demographic methodology in the count of migrant and sea-
sonal farmworkers, as well as urban Hispanics. The limitations can in
large measure be attributed to institutional racism, that is, the lack
of applied interest in this population perpetuates lack of investment
of national resources toward the development of appropriate and
effective approaches. Until 1-lispanics are invested in their commu-
nities' needs and welfare and are included in the census process, the
priority of interest will remain secondary and/or superficial.
In summary, then, I have heard Congressman Garcia address ini-
tiatives that are being taken to address these issues, but my concern
and probably my own statement is that I still see it as a perpetuation
of institutional racism that this Nation certainly has the resources-
I am not a demographer, I don't pretend to know the answers to
how we address the problem, but I do think that our Nation
has the resources, if the interest is there, to put behind dealing with
these issues.
Thank you.
STATEMENT OP ROBERTO MAESTAS
Mr. MAB5TA5. We want to thank you for your patience and your
attention to what is becoming a very crucial question in our commu-
nity, the question of finding out who we are, where we are, and where
we are at.
By way of starting, I would like to ask you if you could let me know
how I can collect the $17,632 that the Census Bureau owes me, be-
cause in the past 8 years we have had inquiries that have taken up
something like 14 months of my working time to answer. The time it
has taken for us to justify the proposals, the incredible needs that we
face in our community every day of hunger, unemployment, we have
had to in the last 8 years be a very visible community center and we
have had a total of $3,200 to try to do a job that the 1~70 census didn't
oet done. HEW gave us, and very reluctantly, gave us a little over
`~3,000 to try and find out where were we, who were we, what were we
doing, and the necessary data to justify CETA allocations, other
human services, including the Department of Agriculture.
The incredible contradiction that we are facing right now is that in
spite of 8 years of having been the most visible place where people
conie in desperation to look for relief, we are getting cut back re-
peatedly. This morning we had our final negotiations with some
CETA officials and we are on the brink of losing the only bilingual
clay-care center in the region.
Mr. Lown~. Is that because CETA is taking the workers out of the
center?
66-270 0 - 80 -
PAGENO="0086"
82
Mr. MAESTAS. Yes; definitely. We waged an intense struggle to try
and get an extension while we looked for additional moneys. It is just
one example of the critical nature of what we are doing here today.
There is a very positive element in this whole process. Congressman
Garcia is going to be influential in trying to remedy some of the crises
around the miscounting or undercounting of our people.
On the other hand, it looks like the money targeted in the past decade
for our communities is diminishing very rapidly and we are going to
have to take to the streets throughout the entire 1980's, even more so
than we did in the 1970's. Maybe some people saw the 1970's as apa-
thetic, and I am not sure who is saying that, but for us there was no
apathy whatsoever. We have been out in the streets since 1970 and
before, and we are going to have to intensify that process in the 1980's.
The census is crucial because when we go out into the streets, we want
to be able to slap bureaucrats on the head with some meaningful statis-
tics. We will do what we can to insure that the racist policies of some
of the brothers and sisters have been pointed out. We need to make
this a priority for the Hispanic community because the 1980's are
going to be a crisis for us undoubtedly.
Thank you very much.
STATEMENT OF ~EPF CASEY GASPAIt
Mr. GASPAR. Congressman and concerned public, I have a prepared
statement which I was planning to read, but I have told this story
often enough and I think I can vary from that and it probably will
be a little more effective if I just complain about the major problem
which I see and which I really doubt has been addressed up to this
point. I don't know of any other area where it has been mentioned.
The Census Bureau tells us tl1at they are making a real effort to
count the Hispanic population of this country. At least in some mini-
mal aspect, and I know in large part because of the efforts of your
committee in going against the bureaucrats that sit in the Bureau of
the Census as permanent employees, some apparatus has been set up
to achieve a full count or semifull count, let's say, of the Hispanic
population.
There is another problem which I have come in contact with, and
this is kind of the other half of the Nation's data gathering mecha-
nism, which is the Registry of Vital, Statistics.
In just a moment I will suggest what this committee may be able to
do to help us remedy the problem, but, first of all, let me explain the
problem.
In this State, and if my investigations are correct, in many other
States as well, there is no information gathered on Hispa.nic birth
and death rates. The information that we have from the Census Bu-
reau provides us with static data. It gives us a cross section of the
population at a determined moment. We do not have any information
on the dynamic behavior of Hispanic population.
We first became aware of this problem at the C~ncilio when we were
attempting to calculate some general statistics on Hispanics in the
State of `Washington. We requested that the Washington State Office
of Management and Budget, Fiscal Management and Budget, give us
a summary of how it is that they calculate yearly growth in the
PAGENO="0087"
83
Hispanic population in the State because they do provide us with some
yearly estimates. `We were told that they `base their estimates according
to the black birth and death rates. `We think this is unacceptable.
The Hispanic population has particular problems because of occupa-
tional risks associated with agriculture and the generally unskilled
positions in the agribusiness. These~ factors are further compounded
by the general conditions associated with poverty. They have a partic-
ularly adverse effect on the health status of Hispanics in this State in
any area that does have a heavily rural migrant-type population, and
I am sure in the major urban centers of this country.
`Without these vital statistics, we are totally unable to measure, and
therefore attempt to prevent, these associated problems.
Let me just take two brief examples. The United Nations considers
infant mortality rates to be the best general indication of the socio-
economic status of a country. In order to calculate an infant mortality
rate you have to know, one, the total population that we can get from
the census. `We can get an estimate, of the total population of His-
panics. Two, you have to know the number of children dying before
1 year of age that corresponds to that group. We cannot find that out.
One of the most elementary, the most simple, and the most basic
measures of health status of a population, and we cannot even figure
out that. I think that is totally unacceptable.
Mr. Lowny. Do we have that information on Caucasians?
Mr. GASPAR. Yes. I will explain right now what that information is
kept on. We asked the SHS about how we could go about changing
this, and we were told to go talk to the World Health Organization
and see if you can get them to ch~ange their category. The World
1-Iealth Organization for some reason does have in their categories
several different Asian groups, Filipinos, black, white, American na-
tives, Alaskan Natives, et cetera, and unfortunately Hispanics are
classified with Caucasians. I frankly do not know anybody in the
`World Organization. I can't talk to them. I would like to request the
help of this committee to go talk to those people and see if we can do
something about changing this.
I don't really expect the Census Bureau to be able to do it. The
Census Bureau is obviously operating in a situation of crisis right at
this moment. There is a lot of resistence at the top. There is a lot of
pressure at the bottom.
What I would suggest is that this committee, since it is the Subcom-
mittee on the Census and Population, look into the forms and explore
the different means in which this data-gathering system, which I think
is a statistical atrocity, can be remedied.
Thank you very much.
STATEMENT OP ADAN JUAREZ, NORTHWEST CHICANO HEALTH
PROGRAM
Mr. JUAREZ. Good afternoon. My~ name is Adan Juarez and I am
here on behalf of an organization known as Northwest Chicano
Health.
Our principal concern is with the provision of health care to migrant
and seasonal agricultural workers.
PAGENO="0088"
84
At times it seems that it is a cynical system which we must confront
and question the sincerity of those who say that they are interested
in actually counting minorities within the general population.
The Congressman mentioned a short time ago that the committee
has been rebuffed by insensitive procedurally petrified bureaucrats and,
unfortunately, we find this to be very true. Minorities in this area are
not being hired in sufficient numbers. The targeted goal, I understand,
is about 15 percent, whereas if you look at the school statistics, we rep-
resent about 40 percent of the population in the Seattle school system.
There is an immediate need to expand the testing mechanisms so
that we might be able to assess cultural and bilingual abilities, and I
believe this can be done. I think that one of the unfortunate parts
of the test is that it addresses issues which are not requisite for sepa-
rate portions of t.he job. The numerators do not have to be excellent
clerks nor do clerks have to be excellent enumerators, but enumerators
must be culturally symphonic with the people that they are attempt-
ing to enumerate. The cynical attitude seems to me to be that the gen-
eral testing pattern is meant to test out, and not test in, people who
have the capacity to deal with specific cultural, ethnic groups.
Seattle needs a community assisted center, and areas of high migrant
and seasonal farmworker density populations need the same type of
centers. Unfortunately, we seem to believe in America that everybody
lives in cities of 500,000 or more and that those are the only ones
worthy of being counted. The unfortunate aspect of that is that many
of my Chicano brothers happen to be migrant, seasonal farmworkers
who live in communities of 5,000 or 3,000, but the thing about it is,
those are the ones who put the food on your table. They are the ones
who harvest those crops and they are the most underserved because
they are the least counted.
I would ask that in consideration of that, you begin to review your
attitude in terms of the rural versus the urban count.
There are certainly not only Chicanos, but migrant and seasonal
agricultura.l workers who yearly are underestimated, undercounted,
underserved, and who will never achieve any type of services for which
they pay so dearly with their sweat and with their tax dollars.
The Bureau must begin to look at the whole process of the citizens
review committees and to begin to require that these committees be
representative of the communities in which the count is being taken;
that we have cultural and ethnic balance in terms of reviewing the
data that comes out after the statistics are developed, and I think that
this is of great importance to us in terms of being able to look at
where we're a.t today and what we a.re planning for.
It is unfortunate, tremendously unfortunate that if you look at the
vital statistics area~, as Jeff was suggesting, we don't keep separate
statistics and cannot identify what's happening with some of our
ethnic minorities, because I would like to indicate to you, for example,
that in the Yakima Valley, fully 50 percent of the children who are
tested for enteric disease have one type of intestinal parasite or an-
other, identified at the State level as an intestinal parasite. It's un-
fortunate that in any other context, this would have been dealt with as
a fate of epedemic proportions, but because we do not keep statistics
like that separate and apart, we are now condemned to looking at the
PAGENO="0089"
85
general statistics for the whole population, and nothing will be de-
veloped to address that problem specifically until we spend mor~
money doing specific studies which should have been covered in terms
of general demographic and vital statistics data. This is one of the
ways in which we are wasting money continually. That and the re-
peated losses that are going to occur from the 1980 census, unless it's
more accurate, are the ways in which we are going to waste money.
I would suggest to you Congressmen that it is time to look analyti-
cally. at the almost systematic racism that exists within the screening
process and make sure that what we target is what we actually require;
not 50 percent in Seattle, but 40 percent of the people being from mi-
nority groups; not CAC's designated specifically or exclusively for
cities of more than 500,000, but also for Yakima and for the other com-
munities for which you should be vitally concerned as representative
of these areas.
I would suggest that it is time that we begin to make the census re-
sponsible to the humans that t.hey are supposed to be counting.
Thank you very much.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you very much. A very good statement.
STATEMENT OP JUAN BOCANEGRA, NORTHWEST RURAL
OPPORTUNITIES
Mr. BOCANEGRA. Congressman Lowry and Congressman Garcia, I
have a statement from the people from Moses Lake. Unfortunately,
they were unable to be here. I am the regional manager for Northwest
Rural Opportunities in the area of Seattle. The letter is very brief and
I would like to read it. I understand there are some groups here that
haven't been heard, so i~ot to say any other statements that have al-
ready been said before.
My testimony is in regard to the upcoming 1980 U.S. census and our
concern over its ability to accurately~count all minorities as well as mi-
grant and seasonal farmworkers. TO better demonstrate the need for
improvement in minority population counts, I would like to share a
personal experience in working with the past U.S. census.
In an effort to improve mental health services to the Spanish speak-
ing in Grant County, we are currently writing a grant for funding of
bilingual, bicultural therapist position at the Mental Health Center.
However, in the course of our research, we found that the 1970 census
population statistics by race were deficient in accurately assessing total
minority numbers. The data underestimated the actual size of our
American-Mexican population for the following reasons.
One, minorities in unincorporated areas of the county were not sur-
veyed due to language barriers and lack of cultural understanding.
Two, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, the majority of which are
Mexican-American, were not included in the census figures, and the
unincorporated rural areas of the county were not surveyed very thu-
roughly. Other services, in additional mental health, have remained in-
adequate in meeting the needs of the minority in the Columbia basin.
Low income medical clinics are scar~ce and more day care centers for
many working mothers are needed. If the census counted minorities
correctly, we would see better housing in the Moses Lake, Ephrata, and
Quincy region, and yet the housing conditions for many Mexican-
PAGENO="0090"
86
Americans and blacks are still substandard. Even in our rural cities,
councils do not abide by affirmative action policies which state that
local governing bodies be reflective of the community. Not one Mexican-
American or black is represented in the Moses Lake city council, de-
spite the fact that these ethnic groups constitute 30 percent and 10
percent of the cities' population, respectively.
Hence, as social service providers, we cannot adequately meet the
needs of the minority clientele unless we have sufficient background
information with which to work. We, therefore, appeal for your con-
sideration of the following recommendations:
One: A more thorough count of the minorities in the unincorporated
areas of the Columbia Basin.
Two: The census surveyor should be trained, giving all census takers
a full, clear explanation as to what the census is about and how it is
administered for the people's benefit. This would reduce the suspicion
that some people hold that the census is an invasion of their privacy
by the Government.
Three: A clear definition of the migrant and seasonal farmworkers
which allows the census to take a more accurate account of those who
change residences frequently.
Four: A better observance of the 235 home loan grant discounts
for minorities, including senior and the handicapped. Many times,
people who are eligible for those housing discounts are not made aware
of them.
Finally: We feel that the census count of minorities would help the
representation of local city councils to better reflect all groups of the
population.
We would appreciate receiving your response to our concern on these
issues.
Thank you.
Mr. GARCIA. Thank you all very much.
Just let me say this to you, if I may. Unfortunately, I have a plane
that I have to catch. I have to get back to New York, but I appreciate
very much that you have come before us, and I appreciate very much
last night; you people were very kind in having me over and I appre-
ciate all that you were able to do. I just want to assure you, as I go back
to Washington, that my office is your office, and you should feel totally
and completely free to call me or to spend time there or whatever the
case might be.
Mr. LowRY. Chairman Garcia, I know you have to catch a 6 o'clock
plane, but we want you to know how much we appreciate your flying
out here yesterday and turning around and flying back. It has bee.n a
sacrifice on your part and we appreciate it.
Mr. GARCIA. As long as we are throwing flowers, every time I have
asked him for a vote on any issue that affected poor people, minorities,
Congressman Lowry has always been there. You know, politicians al-
ways say that about each other; we are always patting each other on
the back and we sometimes break our arm patting each other so hard.
The fact is that Mike has always been there and that's why I am here,
because he was always there and I just think that this is one part of
the world, in this country, that we have not touched base with in terms
of the Census Subcommittee. It's just like any other city; it's a
conglomeration made up of many different people, and the next 10
PAGENO="0091"
87
years are going to be very important in~ Seattle, Mike, and. I want to
thank all of you.
Mr. Lowny. Thank you.
I would like to ask one thing. I want to get to kind of
a tough question here; it. seems to me that it is. You know, there are
employers that take extensive advantage of undocumented workers,
period. The correct way to say it is slave trade, but now, I have been
thinking, ever since we had, a panel this morning that had a lot to do
with farmworkers. This panel, again, is primarily Chicano. Do you
feel that there is resistance by employers, in most cases, in this case
it would be farmers, that don't want a count? I mean, how do we get
a count when they are trying to tell us they don't have undocumented
workers that they are taking advantage of? It seems to me some way
we've got to get a handle on that to get to the importance of this
question.
Mr. JUAREZ. I beleive that the cause of distrust goes more to the
general attitude of what the purpose~of the census is, and the informa-
tion of our community and its willingness to participate in that
process. I think what we have to do is use culturally appropriate
channels of communication to tell the people that being counted does
not mean being identified, or isolated for the purposes of deportation.
As a matter of fact, one of the re~commendations that I was going
to make to the committee was that a moratorium on deportations be
instituted for 1 year after every census, that there be no deportation
of migrant or seasonal farmworkers who are here under questionable
legal circumstances, because what we are faced with is, we have the
problem in reality, and we are not dealing with it effectively because
we are obviating the truth. If we lie 1~o ourselves, how can we efficiently
provide services for a population that we refuse to acknowledge exists.
I don't know if anybody has anything else.
Mr. LOWRY. I know, if I were going to lose my job, I wouldn't fill
one out.
Mr.. JUAREZ. Your job, your position, your livelihood, and be de-
ported; in addition, of course, you're not going to fill out the form.
Mr. MAESTAS. The question of undocumented workers is not a rural
phenomenon. As a matter of fact, the factories, most usually the most
menial jobs and the ones where there is little or no union activity, that
is primarily where they are at. So it's an urban crisis.
Mr. JUAREz. We referred to the uestion of undocumented work-
ers. I always like to remind people that those can very well be Mex-
ican farmworkers, but they can also be Iranian students and also, you
know, other people from other countries. I think we place an unfair
burden on the agricultural industry when we say that they are the
exclusive promoters of this process. That's certainly not true. We
don't find it true in social service agencies, working in the innercities
where we have a much greater population than was ever told, that we
were ever told that we were supposed to serve.
Mr. LOWRY. The previous Secretary of the Treasury-
Mr. MAESTAS. Without people who are acting in the community
being in the process of the census thking, the undercount is going to
be vast this year. They are not going to trust somebody they have
not seen. They are a very small, tightly knit community; small in the
sense of overall community, but we are getting bigger all the time.
PAGENO="0092"
88
Mr. JUAREZ. Trust is the oniy thing that the community agencies
have going for them, and unless we look at that whole rule about
500,000 for a community assistance center and begin to look at it in
terms of really honestly being dedicated, counting people appro-
priately and adequately, and unless we start assigning roles to com-
munity agencies in that function, we are never going to get an accurate
count.
Mr. Lowny. Thank you very much.
Bob Saunders is next.
STATEMENT OP BOB SAUNDERS, SOUTH PUGET SOUND TRIBAL
PLANNING AGENCY
Mr. SAtJNDERS. I am Bob Saunders, the director of South Puget
Intertribal Planning Agency, which is a consortium of four Indian
tribes in the Olympia area.
The major concern of the four tribes that I work for is that the
procedures of the 1980 census will not and cannot result in an ac-
curate count of the tribal service populations, because those procedures
will be unable to account for the off-reservation population.
The situation for these four tribes, like most of the other tribes
in western Washington, is that a significant number of the popula-
tion live off the reservation, due to lack of either low-income housing,
land, General Allotment Act many years ago, and just the plain prox-
imity of town.
One of the tribes I work with is the Squaxon Island Tribe. It's an
extreme case because they are an island in the Sound. There is no
ferry, there is no bridge, there is no fresh water, and there is no popu-
lation on the reservation.
The point is that out of these four tribes, at the most, 50 percent
of the population live on the reservation, yet the other people come to
the reservation for services. Facilities, staff, and programs are needed
to serve two to five times the amount of people that actually reside
on the reservation.
Indian Health Service has long dealt with this situation and rec-
ognizes the concept called the service area, and that concept is essen-
tial for Puget Sound tribes.
I understand that the census will eventually result in identifying
native Americans, to some extent a.t least, in the off-reservation areas.
Unfortunately, that data is not going to be added, will not be able
to be added to the reservation population in order to come up with
some kind of a service area.. For example, a family living in Mason
County, off the reservation, may have a Skykomish parent, a Yakima
parent, Ya.kima children, and a Squaxon grandparent in the same
household. That family will show up in three different columns or
rows in a census report. Like Humpty Dumpty, it will be impossible
to put them together again to determine which of the two tribes in
Mason County they actually utilize for services.
The significance of this is that if, after 1980, many Federal agen-
cies refuse to use anything but the official census data for a funding
program, there will be a great inequity for the Northwest tribes. The
funding allocations will not reflect the true service populations and,
PAGENO="0093"
89
furthermore, tribes with relatively small populations, like Squaxon
Island or Nisqually, will be hurt even more.
It is clearly ironic that after the BIA policies of the 1950's and
early 1960's of encouraging Indians to leave the reservation, the
census is now making a special effort to count those Indians that
remain.
I would like to point out that I am not really talking to the urban
Indian situation, but to the county-small town Indian situation, if
you would; that population that is, let's say, within 25 miles of the
reservation.
One way it might have been solved is that a question might have
been included to ask native Americans what tribe they utilized for
services as well as which t.ribe they are members of. That wasn't done,
either in the long form or the short form or on the special Indian
supplement. So I think for these tribes, at least in Puget Sound,. it's
going to be a problem.
I think it is really imperative that the Federal agencies in region X
be advised officially that this situation exists and they will have to,
for some time, accept BIA or tribal data in order to accurately judge
tribal needs, because the on-reservation population is no measure for
most of the Puget Sound tribes.
Mr. LOWERY. Would BIA have a more accurate count? I mean,
would they have the off-reservation count?
Mr. SAUNDERS. Yes, the tribes know who the off-reservation people
are. They come to the tribe, they receive medical services. They come
to meetings. They generally participate in what happens on the res-
ervation. The only real list, I believe, is probably the mailing list,
and that's probably difficult for the census to deal with, but that is
the situation in the area. So the tribes know, and that information
is sort of filtered through the Bureau, more or less accurately, over
the years.
Dr. FERBER. I was going to say, there was an instance I think, follow-
ing the 1970 census, in which the tribal registers were used in lieu of
revenue shering figures, at one point. They were generated from the
Bureau, the actual registers.
Mr. SAUNDERS. Again, membership, a tribal roll or a register is
probably membership and again, because of the intermarriage situa-
tion, you might have one Skykomish Indian in a family that lives near
the Skykomish Reservation, `but four other family members who are
enrolled in another tribe.
It is difficult to get to, I recognize, but I think the point needs to be
made here.
Mr. LOWRY. Are there off-reservation services utilized by the off-
reservation, but certain things, like schools, for example, or whatever,
reservation? In other words, do they utilize services someplace else,
downtown?
Mr. SAUNDERS. I think to a large extent they utilize services on the
reservation, but certain things, like schools for example, or whatever,
they are part of the general populatiOn, but a lot of specialized services
do come through the reservation. `
Mr. LOWRY. That's what I thought.
Thank you very much, Bob.
Sharon Carrol is next.
PAGENO="0094"
90
STATEMENT OP SHARON CARROL, BLUE MOUNTAIN
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Ms. CARROL. My name is Sharon Carrol and I represent Blue Moun-
tain Economic Development Council. We are a community action
agency located in northeastern Oregon, primarily rural.
We began attempts to coordinate with the Census Bureau last May.
We wrote to them, offered assistance as far as recruitment. `We would
give them space for testing, helping them locate low-income people
in particular, and we never received a response. It took a trip to Seattle
today to get in touch, to find out whom to contact in Oregon as far as
coordinating with the census. That's a lot of unreturned phone calls
and letters, on and off.
One of the reasons that our board, in particular, was very interested
in setting up a working relationship is because we are basically grant
funded, and recently in our area the jurisdictions have had three dif-
ferent sources come in, and they have come up with three different
views as far as how many minorities, how large a population, those
types of things. They were very concerned that it be accurate. This
is all despite the fact that the Department of Commerce and the
Community Services Administration have developed a letter of under-
standing that they will coordinate together. So we are kind of caught
in a bind there, all the way around.
One thing that I would strongly encourage is that the census does
use community action programs and other community based organiza-
tions in finding the people out there. They have the built-in network
and it would certainly ease everyone, all the way around.
Mr. LoWRY. Sharon, thank you.
I assume you have now talked with Ricker Dan and gotten the
communication problem straightened out?
Ms. CARROL. No. Actually, the way I got connected up was someone
who isn't directly related to the census, and they gave me the contacts
of the names of the people, all the way down.
Mr. LoWRY. I am sure that they will work on that.
Thank you.
STATEMENT OP RICHARD BROWN, CITY OP SEATTLE COMPLETE
COUNT COMMITTEE
Mr. BROWN. My name is Richard Brown. I am the director of com-
munity organizing at the central area motivation program. I am also
the chairperson for the media subcommittee of the mayor's complete
count committee.
I would like to ask specifically that you Congressmen ask of Con-
gressman Garcia to please listen to the tape of this testimony, inas-
much as I feel that it is very important. It's a statement from the
mayor's complete count committee to the Congressional Subcommit-
tee on Census and Population.
I am speaking today on behalf of our 21-member complete count
committee representing 13 minority organizations, as well as a num-
ber of community organizations and businesses. Meeting since Decem-
ber, we have amassed a number of concerns of unmet needs which must
be promptly addressed in order to insure a fair and complete count.
PAGENO="0095"
91
You are our last hope, for at this point we are beginning to question
the sincerity of the Federal Government. Does the Government really
want all minorities counted? Some of the planning or lack of planning
leads us to think otherwise. Your prompt attention to these matters
will not only reassure u~, but more importantly, will increase the likeli-
hood of a more accurate census count. Your efforts will correct some of
the planning errors, errors which we hope are not malicious, but just
represent errors in judgment.
Seattle, rather than subscribing to the melting pot theory of the
east coast, sees itself more as a salad bowl. Unlike a melting pot, which
carries the assumption that everyone is the same, we feel it is necessary
to recognize the inherent differences of the various ethnic cultures
contained within this region. Each different ingredient in our salad is
essentially recognizable, excuse me, is easily recognizable, yet when
tossed together, each lends its own particular taste to the overall flavor
of our fair city.
You and your commitee have the ability and power to bring about
the following needed changes, and we urge you to do so.
One: The census forms need to be printed and readily available in
the following languages: Vietnamese; we have over 6,000 Vietnamese
in the Seattle, King County area. Most speak little English, let alone
reading or writing it. Laotian; over 1,800 refugees from Laos are
here, again, with great language barriers. Cambodians; we have over
1,500 Indochinese refugees from this country in Seattle, King County.
Almost all are non-English-speaking.~ Samoan; over 3,000 Polynesians
have come here in the last decade alone. Korean; we have over 6,000
among this area's population. Chinese; we have many thousands of
non-English-speaking ethnic Chinese in the Northwest. We should
point out that while we have many Japanese and Filipino people in.
this area, they, for the most part, have been here for several genera-
tions and it is our understanding that they do not have as great a need
as do the previously mentioned nationalities. So we would suggest that
the six languages previously mentioned will effectively complement the
already printed English and Spanish forms. Again, they are Viet-
namese, Laotians, Cambodians, Samoans, Koreans, and Chinese.
Two: We feel that a multilingual census hotline needs to be made
available across the country to answer census-related questions and to
assist people in the completion of their forms. Suggested numbers
would be TJSA-1980 or perhaps 1-808-Census. This would be most
helpful and would substantially aid illegal aliens by providing ano-
nymity.
Three: We feel a compelling need for assistance centers here. We
suggest utilizing already established social service centers where the
functionally illiterate, the frightened, non-English speaking and
others can come for help. It would b,e ideal if the enumerators avail-
able were made up of their own people, their own community leaders
and activitists, et cetera. Also, they could receive assurances of the
necessity for and the confidentiality of the census, from the people
they trust. After all, confidentiality really comes into play after the
submission of the census questionnaire, and not necessarily during its
preparation.
Another reason is that the current employment payment plan is far
too low. It encourages skipping people, at best, or curbstoning and
PAGENO="0096"
92
cheating, at worst. Assistant centers could greatly help to minimize
these negative possibilities.
Four: Enumerators are required to deal with people in their own
geographic areas, but in this part of the country an enumerator may
have to deal with people speaking a number of unfamiliar languages
in a single block. Because of this we suggest that when an enumerator
encounters a non-English speaking individual that he or she would,
then, direct them to an assistance center or hotline operator. That
enumerator should be compensated with extra money for providing
these additional services, if the efforts are successful. This small bonus
would be far better than a falsified document or no document at all.
Five : We understand that the Federal Government is allowing social
security recipients to become temporary census takers without being
penalized by counting these meager earnings as income. However, in a
recent conversation with social security personnel we were informed
that all income is declared as income and that census income is no ex-
ception. Therefore, we respectfully submit that the social security per-
sonnel, as well as recipients, are not completely aware of the exemption
policy. Perhaps fuFther communication is needed.
Six : The Federal Government must not only permit, but also encóur-
age States to allow public assistance recipients to earn census money
without being, without it being deducted from their checks. We have a
particular concern in that our own State chose to ignore this per-
mission. The encouragement offered to the State of Washington ob-
viously was not sufficient. Therefore, we would request that the Federal
Government give Washington State a stronger nudge. The short range
savings is also shortsighted, for these temporary census jobs may well
be many people's first tentative steps toward full employment, a step
that we should all encourage.
Seven: Currently the hiring of minorities in Seattle is being done by
making a visual judgment of the individual's race or etimicity. This
makes it very difficult to hire the needed minorities without asking
their race. When our hiring subcommittee asked, we found that only a
lump sum of minorities is known. We suggest that specific job descrip-
tions be developed to hire bilingual enumerators, that is, to hire six
people with the ability to speak Laotian and English, along with the
basics necessary to do the job. This would insure the right proportions
of bilingual enumerators being hired. This is an important point, for
Washington ranks fourth among the 50 States in Indochinese popula-
tion and it continues to grow at a rate of 500 per month, with addi-
tional refugees coming from other States where they had initially
settled. Seattle needs to hire many minorities for the census in order
to have the correct proportion to do the job well.
Eight: The Bureau Census should also make part-time enumerator
positions available to bilingual people on evenings and weekends.
Most of these people already have full time employment, but may
want to lend their skills to the census. In addition, in order to reach
all people we need to have enumerators working evenings and week-
ends. As a corollary to this the Census Bureau should have testing sites
and testers available for evening and weekend testing of applicants.
We have already identified potential sites for this purpose.
Nine, the handicapped have been short sheeted again. They should
have been enumerated by the 1980 census. We have national policies to
PAGENO="0097"
93
better serve the handicapped and yet we have forgotten them again or
deleted them for reasons of so called sensitivity.
Ten, it is our understanding that a supplementary questionnaire
will be provided to native Americans. We further understand that this
questionnaire will only be administe~red on the reservations. It is im-
portant to have a complete count of Indians ofF the reservations, as
well as on the reservations, in order that they may also benefit from
the assistance granted to those residing on the reservation. The fact
is, Seattle has one of the largest urban Indian populations in the
United States with a large variation of tribes. Considering the number
of urbanized Indians we need this social economic data and it will
be missed if Indians in urban areas are not given the supplementary
questionnaire. As you may be aware, people who are one-fourth Indian
or more are generally registered with the tribal centers or the Bureau
of Indian Affairs. The tribal centers on each reservation have listings
of names and addresses of all native American residents which can
be utilized in reaching the urban Indians by mail. Another peculiarity
is having Indian individuals hand write their tribal affiliations on the
form. This information does not get picked up by the computer, plus
many native Americans have more than one tribal affiliation. Only
the first tribe listed is used for coding purposes. Perhaps the ques-
tionnaire can be hand coded for the computer.
Eleven, the same way that many Indians have more than one tribal
affiliation, many Americans are interracial. The notion of filling one
circle on the census form is inadequate. For example, which circle
would an individual whose mother is Japanese and whose father is
native American fill? This is especially important in Seattle where
so many marriages cross racial lines.
In summation, we feel that the National Advisory Committee should
have included all minorities. Seemingly left out were native Americans,
blacks and in particular recent immigrant groups who need special
attention in this, their first census. As the mayor's complete count
committee we are trying to grapple with the very problems of a com-
plete count. We have found what ~e consider to be serious problem
areas, yet when we have attempted to make corrective suggestions we
have repeatedly been given the same response from the Census Bureau,
"No changes now, procedures are set, it's too late." We would like to
point out to you that many of our suggestions are not new. They were
made sometime ago. Some as long as 4 years ago, at regional meetings.
We make these same suggestions to you in the committee now.
We are indeed pleased to have you here, to be able to share our
concerns with you, face to face, and we leave you with the same ques-
tion as which we began. Does the Government really want all minorities
counted?
Thank you.
Mr. LOWRY. Excellent statement, Richard.
We hope that again within the selection within the field offices of
the enumerators and the emphasis put on by our field offices that we
can, in this census, have some effect, on these problems.
Then, as Chairman Garcia had said earlier, we also have some long
range things that we hope we will correct by next time, but if we do
a good job in our field offices we can, at least, address some of these
problems this year.
PAGENO="0098"
94
Mr. BROWN. Again, we would urge you to implement as many of
the suggestions as you possibly can. For those that you are not able to
implement on this decennial census, we hope that they could be
brought forth in the quinquennial census and naturally in 1990.
Mr. Lowar. Thank you very much for your statement.
STATEMENT OP LOLA ROMERO, UNITED INDIANS OP ALL TRIBES
Ms. ROMERO. My name is Lola Romero and I am here on behalf of
Bernie White Bear and the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation
and many of the Indians that are living here in Seattle.
I have talked to many of our leaders and asked them what they
would like to be said here.
First of all, we feel that we are going to be kind of looked over,
kind of pushed aside. After reading and researching all the material
that we have from the census, every time the question or a question was
raised, we have some minutes from large meetings that were held in
Sacramento, Los Angeles and Oklahoma, regarding Indians and some-
how they went around answering the question, that there was no an-
swer, how can you count urban Indians. It seems if you are not living
on a reservation and you choose to live in the city, then, somehow you
have lost your native American status.
Some people say, you know, I feel a lot of Indians don't really,
when they get the census forms and things they are just going to push
them aside. Why care if you're not really going to be counted right.
You a.re not marked as a.n Indian.
We have over probably 60, 70 tribes in Seattle. We find that your
Indians in Seattle, you know, we are helping, we are the first Ameri-
cans as far as I know my history. We are willing, we can see this need
to help all the people that are here, the Vietnamese, the Chinese, we
are working together, yet there isn't too much said about the first
Americans.
We can check the BIA rolls and everything like that, but not every
Indian, who is an Indian, keeps up current residence with any reserva-
tion. Some Indians are landless, they refuse to sign a treaty, they re-
fuse to sell their land, they are marked as landless Indians. You are
not within a reservation, yet you have Indian blood.
Mr. Lownr. Isn't it also true that in the past the Government has
abrogated rights and paid for those,. so that all that was left was
cash which the.n meant they lost their resource and it's gone? That is
true, incidentally, that's just on another issue.
* Ms. R.OMERO. Also with the people that's true, but also with the
people who I have found working here in the census, many of the
informations that we have come up with, we find that they are ignor-
ant. They don't know anything about the native American history.
If we come up with something new and we tell them, no, that's not
true, we can't get a hold of everyone off the tribal rolls in the BIA
office, because they are not there, they are not listed. I have asked
some people that work with the census, what's the definition of an
Indian. Definition of an Indian, a.s the census, if you say you are an
Indian, then, you are an Indian.
Mr. FERRELL. Have you seen the census forms? In the question, on a
100 percent basis, allows for an individual to identify themselves as
PAGENO="0099"
95,
an Indian and to mark the tribe. You don~t think that that's ade-
quate, is that what I am getting? I mean, are you trying to make a
distinction between urban Indians and those that perhaps live else-
where and why, if the form is going to 100 percent-
Ms. ROMERO. It is not going to be 100 percent, as far as I have found
out so far. I understand that the long form or the supplemental, sup-
plementary questionnaire is just kind of chosen out of the 20 percent,
at random kind of thing and they are going to get this count which
is supposed to be a social economic data account and they say that
they can get this information from only the 20 percent.
Mr. FERRELL. Let's ask the Bureau to clarify that.
The question is that the form, the supplemental form or the regular
census form, will not necessarily contain what we would consider the
race question on the census form.
Mr. SCHWEITZER. Question No. 4, the race question asks, are you
and asks you to fill in and circle. If you circle American Indian you
are asked to fill in your tribal affiliation. This will be hand coded.
Mr. FERRELL. Will that appear on all forms?
Mr. SCHWEITZER. It appears on every form, the long forms and
short forms. Consequently, everybody that receives a census question-
naire will have the opportunity to fill in their race, American Indian
and their tribal affiliation.
Mr. FERRELL. The supplemental questions are only given on the
reservations; is that correct?
Mr. SCHWEITZER. Yes, and that's in addition to the basic informa-
tion in the short form which includes the tribal affiliation plus the race
of the individual.
Mr. FERRELL. Does that answer yoUr question? I just want to under-
stand exactly.
Ms. ROMERO. No, not really.
As for myself I really understand none of it, but from what I have
been talking to other people, they would like that, just because you are
not living on the reservation you are still an Indian. You are living
here. The same question should be asked from those people, you have
the same blood. Like your sister on brother may be on the reservation,
they get this form. The correct data, from what they need, if they are
separating us, urban Indian, reservation Indian, if you want these
benefits that you can get from living on a reservation, if you move to a
city you are losing those benefits.
Mr. FERRELL. You are suggesting, then, that the supplemental
questionnaire should be included in-
Ms. ROMERO. That was the recommendation. If you are an Indian,
then, perhaps-I understand if you need the Spanish form, you. can
check a box and it comes back. If you are a native American and you
would like to have this information on yourself, maybe you can have
that noted and send them the supplementary questionnaire, if you are
in the city.
Mr. FERRELL. The issue, as far as you are concerned, is the supple-
mental questionnaire being more widely circulated?
Ms. ROMERO. Maybe also the tribal affiliation, like you said. You are
more than one tribe. You've got to, they've separated them that way
also. I don't know how to solve the problem.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you.
PAGENO="0100"
96
Richard, did you have something?
Mr. BROWN. I just had a couple of points to add.
One is, I and most of my coworkers are very glad that you are con-
centrating on people of Spanish extraction in this census, inasmuch
as it is guesstimated that 14 percent were overlooked.
I would like to also state that we would urge all census people to
encourage all minorities, and especially black people, being one of
those, I think I would be remiss in not mentioning that, atleast, 7 per-
cent were overlooked in 1970.
To expound on Lola's statement. I have a coworker whose father is
half black and half Indian and her mother is half Jewish, I think
it's half Aleut, something like that. The point is, she is in a quandary
as to what in the world she would check. She has a choice to make
about checking one box and she doesn't know what to check. I can
sympathize with her. There are many people that I have run across
that very simply just don't know what to check. If a native American
is of two tribes and he puts down both tribes, as we understand it, only
that first tribe is entered. It is beautiful that you are going to hand
code things, that's nice, in order to get it on the computer, but it may
be good to make an effort to hand code, say, at least two, if a person
has more than one ethnicity.
Thank you.
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you very much. We appreciate your testimony.
It has been very important.
Dr. Wiegman is next.
STATEMENT OF EUGENE WIEGMAN, WASHINGTON STATE
EMPLOYMENT SECURITY
Dr. 1Vi~GMAx. Thank you, Mike.
My name is Eugene Wiegman, the commissioner of employment
security. Governor Ray wants to thank you and your committee
also, and she is very pleased and she wanted me to especially
say that. I was with her at noon and she especially knew that I would
be here and wanted you to be apprised of the fact that she knows that
you and your colleagues, of course, were here and to thank you for
that.
You have heard so much today and I just simply am going to tell
you our concern, very quickly, and unfortunately I have to be right
out of here to do something else, if you don't mind.
Our interest primarily is, of course, how the census will address it-
self to the employment in the State of Washington. As you well know,
many of the congressional programs are targeted and you probably
heard that today. Looking at your distinguished list of those who have
testified, I am sure you have talked about that. But also, I simply
want to point out that since my office administers the balance of State
for CETA, among other kinds of programs, how important it is for
us to have a fairly accurate count as we prepare our employment esti-
mates for counties and subcounty areas and that the kinds of areas,
and people, and nationalities, and others that you address yourself to
are very important, the CETA programs, employment, and the like.
There are, however, three areas that we specifically would like to
draw your attention to. I am sure once again you have heard a great
PAGENO="0101"
97
deal about it, but the first one is the handicapped group and I do have
the responsibility to chair and finance the Governor's committee on the
hiring of the handicapped and their concern, as expressed to me, has
been that the census does not do an adequate job, especially in what they
call the followup questions on the category of the handicapped, in
that they believe you are not going to have the kind of adequate infor-
mation dealing with the categories of mental, physical, and sensory
disabilities, and that by Governor Ra.y's recent executive order which
includes the handicapped as an affirmative action plan, we are afraid
that we are not going to be able tO do a good job because we are not
getting the kind of information that is necessary. The Governor and I
would especially like to draw your attention to that.
The other one that I am sure you heard a great deal about, and that's
the Hispanics, especially the magrant workers. That, once again, falls
within my area of responsibility for the State of Washington. Agricul-
tural housing and seasonal farm workers and I am sure you have had
adequate testimony on that. We want to reinforce that testimony.
Another group that you heard adequately defined and very nicely
presented just a few minutes ago and that's the Indochinese popula-
tion in `the State and that's a growing concern. We are interested in
that.
I don't know whether or not, Mike, you have heard about the con-
cern we have had for the Gypsy population in this State. This is the
first time, and let me bring this to your attention, there is a large
number of Gypsy population and as you well know they have a lan-
guage, and it's a language that's not written down. And Gypsies tra-
ditionally are very hesitant to volunteer information. The nearest
estimate that we have is that there are probably maybe as many as
2 million in the United States. I have talked to a Mr. Dean Morgan
about it. We are talking about some kind of special program right
now. The king of the Gypsies of the United States lives in Tacoma,
Miller Stevens, and he and I have:been in touch with the Census Bu-
reau. Ron Priddy, my assistant, went back to Washington for a couple
of things in December, met with the high ranking officials in the Cen-
sus Bureau, we did not get very far. Two weeks ago Governer Ray
personally wrote a letter to President Carter, expressing her concern
that the Gypsies especially be noted in the census. That letter, as I
just mentioned to you, was just mailed and we have not gotten a re-
sponse back from the President. We feel very keenly about that, be-
cause they are a population, a target of population oftentime over-
looked.
By and large, that's what we want to talk about. We think it is
very important for the employment data, for the State and that these
groups, especially the handicapped, the Hispanics, the Indochinese,
and the Gypsies, be expressly considered. We are very concerned,
obviously, about the black population, too, but I am sure that others
have expressed that more eloquently and more knowledgeably than
I can. Jobs are the important thing and we believe that many good
programs of the Federal Government address themselves to groups
and we want to be able to identify them and have good counts.
Otherwise, we are very complimentary of what you are doing and
thank you for the time and, at least, to let you know we are interested
in what you are doing.
66-270 0 - 80 - 8
PAGENO="0102"
98
Mr. LOWRY. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement foflows:]
PREPARED STATEMENT OF ETJGENE WIEGMAN, Co~rMIssIoNER, WASHINGTON STATE
SECURITY DEPARTMENT
Congressman Garcia, Congressman Lowry, and members of the Subcommittee
on Census, I wish to extend my compliments to you for your high level of con-
cern about the critical issues relating to conducting the U.S. census. Governor
Ray has asked me to express her appreciation to you for taking the time to come
here to learn first hand about the unique concerns of our State.
My basic message to you today is that the 1980 census is of critical importance
to the State of Washington and that it is extremely important to us:
(1) That every person be counted.
(2) That we have as much information about the number and location of
the various population groups within our State as possible.
I. NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT POSSIBLE
The results of the 1980 Census will shape the destiny of the people of the
State of Washington more so than any census in recent decades. This will be the
case because of a number of social and political changes that are taking place
here. These include:
(1) A rapidly growing population.
(2) Increasing ethnic heterogeneity.
(3) Availability of a wide variety of Governmental programs to serve public
needs.
(4) Growing public mood of reducing public spending.
Fundamental political rights of the citizens of the State of Washington are
at stake in this census. The broadest impact of the Census may be the oppor-
tunity for the people of this State to be eligible for additional representation in
Congress. This of course would be due to increased population that is resulting
from the favorable economic conditions that prevail.
Because of the fundamental importance to our governmental system of the
right of representation, it is incumbent upon those who are conducting the
Census to do it with the same level of care as would be accorded an election
process. These rights are interrelated and equal in degree of importance to one
another.
I therefore urge this committee to keep this fundamental purpose in mind as
you exercise your oversight responsibilities.
II. PUBLIC EXPENDITURES FOR TARGETED POPULATION GROUPS
An equally important impact of the census on the State of Washington, as
well as in all other States, will be its effect on governmental decision-making
at all levels-Federal, State and local. There are few single activities of the
Federal Government that will affect domestic programs in the U.S. and in the
State of Washington in the decade of the eighties as much as will the results
of this Census. The U.S. Census has been and will continue to be the most com-
prehensive and basic source of data on the number, location and characteristics
of our population. Not only is it used by Federal decision-makers, but State
and local officials are also dependent upon its information. This data will be
relied on probably for the next 10 years. (Unless, of course, there is a mid-
decade census.)
In our era of governmental belt tightening, decision-makers at all levels are
looking more and more to "hard data" on which to base priorities and funding
decisions. Therefore, those population groups for which there is good Census
data will be far more likely to find a responsive ear among decision-makers.
Those for which rata are not available will likely lose out, through no fault of
their own, and perhaps irrespective of their needs. We must assure that our
basic data tool is the best it can possibly be and that it treats all population
groups equitably.
There are many in our State who are concerned that some population groups
might be undercounted or not counted at all in the curent census. I share these
concerns. As commissioners of employment security, responsible for decision-
making on hundreds of millions of dollars annually for employment programs
that serve many of the people of our State, I need to have the best information
PAGENO="0103"
~99
possible in order to assure that the programs accomplish their goals to the great-
est extent possible. I know that the Governor and other cabinet members share
this concern. The need for population data affects many programs in addition to
employment. Also affected are a wide variety of health, social service, educa-
tional, housing and economic assistance programs. Revenue sharing is also likely
to be affected. Many of these programs are based on targeting various population
groups in specific geographic areas.
Basically, everyone has a stake in what the census results are, with some
having more of the stake than others. I urge you to consider carefully what you
are hearing from many of these groups appearing before you today.
There are a number of population groups concerned they might be under-
represented in census results, I share these concerns:
A. Handicapped-The high level of public concern about the handicapped has
been well demonstrated. I regret the decision by the administration not to fund
the follow-up question on the category of the handicapped that is being addressed
in this 1980 census. Information in the 1980 census is meaningless and will not
break down into the categories of mental, physical or sensory disabiilties. This
could have a devastating effect in the number of areas such as planning pro-
grams. To serve the handicapped is impossible and grants are meaningless with-
out statistics or numbers to support the grant and program. Furthermore, the
State of Washington is impacted by Governor Ray's executive order to include
handicapped as an affirmative action plan for all State agencies with goals and
timetables. Without an accurate population base it is impossible to address con-
cerns equally of all handicapped groups.
B. Diverse ethnic groups.-Washington is a State that is experiencing increas-
ing ethnic diversity. The Hispanic communities of our State are a good example.
Hispanics are a large and growing population group in the State of Washington.
Agriculture is our number one industry in the State and is continuing to grow, as
more and more acres are continuing to be irrigated and planted. Each year a
large number of migrant farmworkers, many of whom are of Hispanic descent,
come to the State for agricultural employment. There is a serious concern that
this significant population group may `be undercounted. This could occur due to
the fact that they move from location to location, often tend to be located in
somewhat remote areas, have language problems and lack experience in complet-
ing forms.
Good data on this population group has been very difficult to obtain in the
past. We look forward to good data from the census. It would be particularly
valuable to the efforts being made by Federal, State and local governments and
private non-profit organizations to attempt to meet some of the critical housing
needs of this group, as well as other related needs.
As a second example we have a growing Indo-Chinese population in the State.
This is a result both of the disruptionS taking place in Asia and the Puget Sound
area being the nation's principal gateway to the orient. Many programs are
attempting to reach this population group. Further, we have large black popula-
tions in several urban areas of the State about which we have had continuing
needs for up-to-date data. Many employment and other programs attempt to
target each of these groups.
Finally, a little recognized group are the Gypsies. Since the first census in 1790
there has been confusion and lack of~ information about Gypsies in the U.S. It
has been estimated that up to one million live in the country and we believe a
substantial number live in this State. Certain of their unique characteristics,
including the fact the Gypsy language is only spoken and not written, may have
contributed to their never having been counted.
With respect to these and other population groups, I encourage the oversight
committee to pay careful attention that they are accurately counted. To success-
fully administer programs in the best interests of the groups they are intended to
serve, the best data possible is needed. I recommend that where possible the
Bureau of the Census employ members of the respective population groups in-
volved to assist with the count. Consideration should also be given to consulta-
tion with those community agencies who work daily with these target groups as a
method of reaching such populations. These actions should minimize inadvertent
omissions in the count.
III. EMPLOYMENT DATA
The condition of our State and national economies, of course, under-
lies all our activities and aspirations. Our economy and our ability to pro-
vide jobs to meet the needs of our population always have been and always will
be one of our Nation's and State's top priorities. There is seemingly no end of
debate on how economic goals should be achieved or what the implications might
PAGENO="0104"
100
be of various policy alternatives. We clearly need as much good data as possible
to assist in our national and State decisionmaking on these issues.
Accurate census data are essential to the preparation of reliable estimates of
employment and unemployment, as well as for developing data needed for other
program purposes as I outlined earlier.
In developing employment estimates for the State of Washington, we use
census data to establish the base, or benchmark, for subsequent estimates of:
(1) Nonfarm wage and salary employment by place of residence.
(2) Nonagricultural self-employment.
(3) Agricultural employment.
We rely on census data in preparing employment estimates for county and sub-
county areas. We also use census data in preparing unemployment estimates
below the labor market area level.
The unemployment rates and levels estimated by the employment security
Department for the State, counties and cities are used in turn by the Federal
Government in making revenue sharing allocations and in determining the eligi-
bility of areas for participation in many other Federal assistance programs.
We must prepare a wide variety of socioeconomic and demographic estimates
for program planning purposes for the many complex programs we administer.
In their preparation, we rely heavily on census data. The census data we use most
frequently include:
(1) Employment and unemployment data by sex and ethnic group.
(2) Occupational distribution.
(3) Income distribution.
(4) Age distribution.
(5) Data on handicapped individuals.
Census information on handicapped individuals, including handicapped vet-
erans, would be especially useful in developing affirmative action data for use by
employers in the preparation of their affirmative action goals. Lacking census
data on the handicapped, we must rely on administrative data which is far from
complete because not all handicapped individuals utilize the services of the em-
ployment security department.
CONCLUSION
Again, in conclusion, my basic message is that the 1980 census is of critical
importance to the State of Washington and that it is extremely important to us:
(1) That every person be counted.
(2) That we have as much information about the number and location of the
various population groups within our State as possible.
If I can be of any assistance to this committee please contact me.
Thank you again for coming to the State of Washington.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you.
Mr. Lownr. I just was going to mention that we would hope that the
State could p~rticipate in the effort to get t.he information out, the pub-
licity effort, to get the information out to get the participation of indi-
viduals, because as you say, it's very important to State government,
just like it is to every other unit.
Dr. WIEGMAN. We would be happy to. Will somebody be in touch
with us to help us do that?
Mr. LowRY. I would hope the census people will work with you.
Thank you and our best to the Governor.
Rudy Cruz is next.
STATEMENT OF RUDY CRUZ, HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND
WELFARE-REGION X
Mr. CRUZ. Congressman, my name is Rudy Cruz and I am on the
staff of the regional office of HEW. I am making a statement today on
behalf of Bernard Kelly, who is presently on special assignment to
Washington with the Office of Refugee Affairs. He asked me to give
this testimony for him, because he could not make the hearing.
I would like to focus on two groups also, that have `been very well
addressed here today. I am sorry that we couldn't have gone before
PAGENO="0105"
iloi
those groups. We would have looked much better. We look like an
echo chamber at this point.
I refer specifically to migrant seasonal farmworkcrs and to the
Indochinese refugees. These two groups have been and continue to be
of great concern to HEW, and to~ other human services agencies.
In the fall of 1976 HEW region X contracted to conduct a rather
exhaustive 15-month evaluation study of the accessibility of 14 human
resource service programs to migrant seasonal farmworkers in three
agricultural valleys in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. Among its
major conclusions the evaluation report found that there was virtually
no accurate, current, and useful demographic data on migrant and sea-
sonal farm workers. Some, although not all of this problem, can be
attributed to the nature of the work performed and to the consequent
mobility of migrant farmworkers. State and local government service
providers interviewed in the study, and there were well over 100 people
interviewed, school administrators, welfare, and health officials, were
generally in agreement that useful data was nonexistent. In the absence
of an accurate count and some basic information regarding the charac-
ter and needs of this population it is, of course, impossible to plan serv-
ice programs or to assess the extent to which they are meeting the
health and social service needs of migrant seasonal farmworkers.
The evaluation study also found that 75 percent of the 450 migrants
interviewed for the study preferred to communicate in Spanish and
only 55 percent felt they could communicate effectively in English. The
mean educational level of those interviewed was sixth grade.
According to both the local service providers and migrants, them-
selves, housing was the most critical need of this group. I am sure you
have heard that today, time and time again.
While no one has an accurate èount it is estimated that each year
the Northwest experiences an influx of tens of thousands of migrant
seasonal farmworkers. Each year they can be found living in cars and
campers along river banks and in~ low-cost trailer parks, because ade-
quate affordable housing is not available.
We in HEW are concerned or convinced that an accurate count of
migrant seasonal farmworkers is crucial to establishing and delivering
services that they so badly need.
The 1980 census must be sensitive to the unique and special charac-
teristics of this important segment of ~hr society.
Enumerators assigned to the agricultural areas of the Northwest
must be able to communicate in Spanish and must be knowledgeable
about the migrant farmworkers lifestyle. They must also be creative
enough to seek out migrant farmworkers in very unconventional loca-
tion: farms and ranches, river banks, asparagus fields, worker camps,
trailer parks, what have you.
I would now like to turn your attention to another important and
growing subpopulation in the Northwest, Indochinese refugees.
HEW has recently completed a service delivery assessment of domes-
tic resettlement services which arc provided to Indochinese refugees.
That study, incidentally, I would like to give some credit to the re-
gional office which was led by Mr. Kelly's staff and recently received
substantial publicity in the Washington Post. I am sure you read
about it.
Mr. LOWRY. Frankly, that was very important while we were con-
sidering the appropriation for that within the last 3 weeks before the
House of Representatives.
PAGENO="0106"
102
Mr. CRUZ. This informal review was conducted to provide better in-
formation upon which the Department can base future program
decisions.
As you know, HEW's Indochinese refugee assistance program be-
gan as a response to the urgent need to resettle thousands of people
displaced by war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Since 1975 over
200,000 Indochinese refugees have come to the United States. In the
summer of 1979 President Carter committed this country to acceptance
of 14,000 refugees per month or about 168,000 per year. This is the larg-
est resettlement program every attempted.
Indochinese refugees are found to be a highly mobile group. In re-
cent conversations with 350 families, HEW found that 43 percent of
them had moved from their first resettlement site, 60 percent of those
out of the State they first settled in. To date there has been no way of
determining with any accuracy their frequency or number refugees
throughout the country making these secondary moves, nor where
they are moving. However, this secondary migration is party respon-
sible for the large concentrations of refugees in certain localities,
which is straining the local service delivery mechanism.
Indochinese refugees, due to both their ethnic background and their
experience as refugees have especially urgent need for some social, edu-
cational, and health services provided mainly through local programs.
Accurate census data on refugees in 1980, compared to State Depart-
ment records of first settlement locations would help us toanJ~zethe
reasons for and the impact of this secondary migra7ti~ii. O~ course,
a great number of refugees are not yet able to communicate in Eng-
lish, so it will be necessary for this group, too, to assure that we have
translation services or bilingual enumerators available in areas where
large numbers of Indochinese are known to have settled.
Additionally, I understand that the 1980 census questionnaire does
have a racial category for Vietnamese and you have heard that today,
for sure, but none for the other Indochinese categories. For example,
Cambodia and Laos, and we would recommend that the category be
made more inclusive so that all Southeast Asians are counted to-
gether.
My comments to this point have dealt with the necessity to assure
a complete and accurate count of the especially vulnerable popula-
tion in region X. I would like to also take this opportunity to mention
a cooperative effort between our Department, the Labor Department
and the Census Bureau regarding the 1980 census.
Recognizing the Bureau's need for temporary workers as enumer-
ators, clerical, et cetera, HEW Office of Human Development Serv-
ices is cooperating with State governments in several regions, not just
region X, through the Federal work incentives program to identify,
recruit and place aid to families with dependent children recipients
in these temporary jobs. We hope that this effort will provide needed
temporary employment for recipients and their families. We also feel
that this coordinative effort will increase the overall accuracy of the
census since many AFTC recipients are minorities and women who
have a better than average familiarity with the communities where
vulnerable population groups are most often encountered.
This concludes my testimony. I would like to thank you again for
this opportunity to present a Federal, regional perspective on the im-
portance of the 1980 census.
[The following letter was received for the record:]
PAGENO="0107"
103
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
REGION X
ARCADE PLAZA BUILDING MS/807
1321 SECOND AVENUE
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101
Dear Mr. Garcia:
At your subcommittee's recent hearing on the 1980 census, which was
held in Seattle on February 15, I presented testimony regarding the
importance of accurate counts of migrant farmworkers and Indochinese
refugees. Mr. Rodolfo Cruz of my office presented the verbal testimony
on my behalf, since I was in Washington~, D. C. on the day of the
hearing. He also left a written copy of my testimony with the
subcommittee.
As a part of our testimony, we spoke of~ the joint HEW/Labor Department/
Census Bureau effort to provide temporary employment to welfare re-
cipients as census enumerators. We related that HEW has allowed the
states, who operate the Ai,d to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
program, to disregard census income when determining AFDC eligibility
of persons who take temporary jobs as census enumerators and office
staff. In Region X, two of the four states have decided to disregard
such census income. As you may recall ,~ members of the subcommittee
asked about other HEW programs in which recipients might be deemed
ineligible for continued service if they accepted temporary census
employment. Mr. Cruz offered to research this issue and provide a
response in writing to the subcommittee at a later date. This letter
is in response to the subcommittee's inquiry.
The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare administers several
"income tested" programs, in which income is counted as a factor in
determining eligibility for services. Examples of HEW's largest
income tested programs authorized under the Social Security Act are
Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC, Title IV-A), Medical
Assistance (Title XIX), Social Services (Title XX), and Supplemental
Security Income (Title XVI). The Department of Labor and HEW also
jointly administer the WIN program, for which most AFDC recipients are
automatically eligible.
Entitlement to Title XIX (Medicaid), Title XX (Social Services), and
WIN is dependent upon AFDC eligibility. All of these programs are
operated by the states. In those states where census income is
disregarded in determining AFDC eligibility, it.will also be disregarded
in determining Title XIX, Title XX, and WIN eligibility.
The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare administers directly
the Supplemental Security Income (Title XVI) and Federal Old-Age,
Survivors, and Disability Insurance (Title II) programs. After care-
ful consideration, HEW decided it cannOt disregard income from the
Census Bureau in determining eligibility for those programs. The
Social Security Act requires that income be considered in determining
eligibility for Title II and Title XIX benefits. There is no federal
statutory distinction between the definition of census income and the
income of other wage earners. The Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare is, therefore, required under the Act to consider census income
as ordinary income in determining eligibility for Title II and Title XVI
benefits.
We trust this information will satisfy the subcormiittee's needs at
this time. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to
contact me.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Robert Garcia 7
Chairman, Subcommittee. on Census
- - ~`1.~'Bernard E. Kelly
Principal Regional Official
PAGENO="0108"
104
Mr. Lowny. Thank you for the statement.
Mr. Dick Stannard is next.
STATEMENT OP DICK STANNARD, COMMUNITY SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
Mr. STANNARD. Congressman, my name is Dick Stannard and I am
representing Dean Morgan, the regional director of Community Serv-
ices Administration, which is as you all know the Government's prin-
cipal antipoverty Federal agency. This region covers Alaska, Oregon,
Idaho, and Washington.
Dean was unable to be here because of a major explosion that de-
veloped at the office today and he is there dealing with it, so he asked
me to present his testimony.
I think I will summarize it because most of what I have to say has
been said, at least once, and probably several times today. I think
that I would say that in general that we agree with what's been said
in terms of the need for, particularly the need to deal with the under-
count problem in every possible way.
There is one item that isn't in our prepared testimony that I would
like to mention and that relates to, there have been a couple of ref-
erences to it, the employment of AFDC mothers, particularly as
enumerators.
For reasons that I am unaware of, HEW left that up to each State
to decide whether or not to count that income in calculating grants
so there has been a scramble all over the country in all kinds of blood
letting sessions within the State welfare departments over how to
handle this problem. In our region the score is two to two. Washington
and Idaho both opted not to exempt this income, which has the effect
*of penalizing and discouraging the employment of these women.
Alaska and Oregon have chosen to exempt it. As I understand, and
I don't know this for a fact, but I believe that HEW had another
option which was to declare this a blanket exemption across the coun-
try, and if they had done that it would have simplified the admin-
istrative situation of taking the monkey off the State's back. If it is
still possible I would hope that that could be considered.
The other points that we wanted to make, particularly are as I
mentioned the undercount. `CSA has a memorandum of understand-
ing, as it's called, between our agency and the Department of Com-
merce in which we mutually pledge to help in every way we can, help
the Census Bureau deal in every way it can with the undercount and
I would say parenthetically that there is no question in my mind that
the Bureau of the Census is deeply concerned about this problem and
is making strenuous effort~s to provide a better count than occurred
in 1970. I don't believe there is any effort not to make the count as
complete as possible. I think it's quite to the contrary.
In carrying out our end of this memorandum of understanding we
in CSA,in this region, have set up a series of meetings between the
community action agencies, which are our principal outreach mecha-
nism, and the Bureau of the Census outreach personnel so that we can
get some interaction going. I think that for whatever reason the Bureau
ha.s been somewhat slow in taking advantage of the outreach capacity
PAGENO="0109"
105
that exists within CSA grantees, namely community action agencies,
and these meetings are going on now and will be into March, well, no
later than March. It is my expectation that that will cause a good deal
of interaction and awareness by the Bureau and perhaps of resources
that haven't been tapped in terms of outreach. I have found that when
we have set these meetings up that they have been very responsive in
providing people to staff them.
We have dwelt at length for the reasons for the undercount, I don't
want to go into that.
I think the Bureau has taken some hard raps today and I would,
again, want to say that, to the extent that I am familiar with what
they have planned, I think they have given a lot of thought to a lot of
these difficult issues. For example, doing the Alaska count in January.
It's currently underway and that's done deliberately because it's be-
lieved, rightly I think, that more native people will be in their own
villages in January than they will in April. Many points like that
that have been carefully thought through and I think have been well
executed and will be well executed.
There will be much better native American data, particularly urban
data in 1980 than was provided in 1970.
Finally, and again I realize this has been talked about, but it does
seem to me a very serious gap in the proposed plans for this census not
to have a clear, specific, detailed picture, statistical picture of the
migrant population in this country and that's a particular concern of
CSA. This has been a national emphasis program in the poverty legis-
lation since it was first enacted in 1964. I think it is appalling that
there will not be really good information, again, on the migrant popu-
lation. So, if it is impossible to deal with that now, and I suspect that
it is, I would say that at the very least we should be thinking about
providing this kind of data in 1985 in the mid-decade census, so that
the kinds of answers that are needed to provide social services in an
equitable way for this population will be available. Has it been said?
I'll say it again, if a migrant is in ~ akima who lives in Del Rio, Tex.,
on April 1, that he is counted as a resident of Del Rio, Tex., and he is
invisible forever in Yakima. That's a ridiculous situation and I don't
pretend to know how to deal with it, but I believe that it can be re-
solved if we agree that it is necessary and I think it is necessary.
I think that that pretty well summarizes what Dean would have said
if he had been here. I will sign off here and if there are any questions
I will try to answer them.
Mr. Lowny. Thank. you.
I didn't hear you correctly. What States have exempted the/income
from the grant qualification for AFDC?
Mr. STAXXARD. In this region Alaska and Oregon have exempted
the income. Washington and Idaho will deduct it from grants to
anybody who is employed as an enumerator who is on AFDC.
Mr. LOWRY. Then it's not directly your field. What about social
security, is that exempted all the. way across the country?
Mr. STANNARD. It's not exempted, but I have talked to the Bureau
here about that, the social security people, and the allowable income
is high enough that I don't think it is a problem. If they only work
2 or 3 months they won't make enough to jeopardize their social
security income anyway. But anybody who takes those jobs would
PAGENO="0110"
106
be well advised to make sure they are not going to be hurt by that.
But it appeared to me that it wouldn't do them any harm.
Mr. LOWRY. Are there any other categories on the question of
exempt income relative to government grants or payments?
Mr. STANNARI. I think any income defined program is going to be
affected.
Mr. LoWRY. Thank you very much and thank you for sitting
through this today. I learned a lot from it and I suspect even you may
have. It was extremely interesting.
I would like to thank the Census and Population Subcommittee
staff, the majority council and the minority council for coming to
Seattle for this hearing. I also appreciate Census Bureau's efforts.
Many of the questions and comments that were made, I think we all
realize, came down to the fact that you don't have the money to do
some of the things that are necessary to do and that's something we
need to be addressing ourseif to, that where there would be some
answers to some of these questions you are strapped for the same
reasons many of us are strapped.
I appreciate that and the work done by everybody. I would now
like to adjourn the hearing and take it from-yes, Dan.
Mr. MARTIN. I wanted to submit a letter of February 5, written by
the Director of the Census Bureau addressing that.
Mr. LOWRY. I think a little earlier in the day we got that, and
thank you.
STATEMENT OF RICK SCHWEITZER, CENSUS BUREAU
Mr. SCHWEITZER. Gentlemen, my name is Rick Schweitzer, acting
regional census manager, Seattle.
I have listened with great interest to all the comments that have
been made here today. Many struck home, they are things that we can
take care of, they are administratively determined at the local level.
We will work with our two very capable district man~gers here in~
Seattle, Tacoma, and also in Yakima, to make sure that the points that
have been brought up are carried out as much as possible.
A number of points though did get raised which need to be clarified
for the record, so that it is straight and clear.
In the Yakima district office, for instance, the record will show
that several of the people referred to the mail-back procedure not
being the correct procedure for the enumeration of the migrant farm-
workers and other persons who have high mobility and thus no resi-
dence and thus might be missed in terms of the census, because they
would not receive a questionnaire in the mail.
As it turns out., by a fortuitous accident, the Bureau is testing a new
procedure or a test procedure in the Yakima district office which
means that every census questionnaire will be delivered by a census
employee to every household. Thus at that point, if the household is a
Hispanic household and needs a Spanish language questionnaire, the
Spanish language questionnaire will be left there, plus you will have
the personal contact of asking questions of the enumerator at that
point in time. This we believe will insure that we get a better response
rate in terms of these households.
In addition we are working with the Rural Opportunities Agency
over there, plus the migrant education program, to develop lists, maps,
PAGENO="0111"
107
and identification of all the campsites, both recognized and unrecog-
nized campsites, so that we can modify our special place procedures,
go into these sites utilizing bilingual enumerators, persons from those
communities to do the enumeration of the migrant farmworkers at
the locations where they are residing at the time we are there. These
two programs, I believe, will insure that we will, in effect, carry out a
much better operation there, addressing the needs here.
The test procedure is, in fact, designed to see whether we can in-
crease the response rate from the population at hand by having this
direct personal contact at the time the questionnaire is delivered. In
this particular case, as I say, it is quite fortuitous. It involves an area
of real need here in the Pacific Northwest.
In terms of the assistance centers here in Seattle, we are, because of
funding limitations, not allowed~ to set up formal Bureau sponsored
and run, staffed, assistance centers. The difference of the 500,000 popu-
lation centers is one that was of a necessary budgetary constraint as
far as the Bureau felt. We do have a very able man on my staff who
is involved with the area of the complete count committees. This is
an area that we are working very heavily. We have complete count
committees in a number of cities in the Northwest, throughout the
State of Washington and other States.
There was reference made this morning to having only one complete
count committee. This is not true. We have a number of major cities,
perhaps some of the most active ones are outside of the State of
Washington, in cities like Portland, Ore., Las Vegas, interest is being
expressed in Salt Lake City and a number of other smaller cities in
the West. So this work is going on with, I think, great reward and
response from these cities, which would benefit their accurate count.
In terms of the assistance centers, we can work and provide some
form of assistance through workshops, through other kinds of tech-
niques of reaching into those communities and being able to provide
the kind of assistance they have been asking for here. It's going to
have to be of necessity, handled through the funding arrangements
that they may have already. W~e are not able to fund that, that is
very true and correct. We can provide that onsite direction and assist-
ance to them.
There are materials here which I would like to submit for the
record of examples of the census promotional materials, question-
naire assistance materials which have been translated into various
Asian languages. This work Ins been done by the complete count
committee here in Seattle and it is being utilized through the various
community organizations, so consequently, one of the needs that has
been expressed time and time again is already being worked on and
addressed to the complete count committec~ that the mayor has set up
here in the city of Seattle.
In terms of our hiring profiles we are very cognizant of the need
to hire indigenous people, that is one of the main oriterias for the
census. The feeling has been expressed here that the best way to
enumerate the population in any locality is to utilize people that are
familiar with it. We agree totally with that, but at the same time we
have heard time and time again here that in the one neighborhood we
could have as many cultural differences as there are houses, which
means it is almost an impossibility to have one person assigned to that
PAGENO="0112"
102
enumeration task who can represent and reflect all of the diverse
communities that are in this particular small area, called an enumera-
tion district. We will have in our staffs here in Seattle bilingual indi-
viduals representing all of the different racial and ethnic minorities
in Seattle. Consequently, when we run across a situation where a Viet-
namese family might reside on a block which has Hispanics, blacks,
Cambodians and other racial groups, we will endeavor to get a Viet-
namese bilingual enumerator to that household, soon as it is identified
that that is a particular need.
Both of the district managers have been instructed to hire the
necessary staff reflecting this. They will be, in a sense, held in a pooi
and sent out to particula.r needs as they arise rather than being given
territorial assignments. This is, again, an administrative way in which
we can foresee the problem, anticipate it and react to it without having
to constrict ourselves to giving one person a fixed geographic area
which, given the testimony here today, we could not handle ade-
quately, given the diversity here in Seattle.
We are reacting and I will assure you and assure all the people that
have been here today that we will do all that is possible to insure that
we can carry out an effective and complete and accurate count of all
the populations that are found not only here in Seattle, Wash.,
throughout the eight States that I have some direction and control
over. This will be done and we will do it as thoroughly as possible.
With this kind of cooperation that we have heard here, time and
time again, the census can be done, will be done and will be done as
accurately within budget as possible.
Thank you.
Mr. LOWRY. Rick, thank you for that statement. I am glad you
came up and made it and the direct program in Yakima is going to be
very important.
What is the real process in which the enumerators are hired? Who
really makes that decision and what are the parameters we have as
far as determining that.
Mr. SCHWEITZER. The process of hiring enumerators is one where
we are acquainted with the community through a variety of sources.
The names of different organizations, different community based or-
ganizations, different individuals who are very knowledgeable about
the communities. We have asked them to provide us names, in really
a very short time frame, for potential enumerator assignments. We
are then, grouping these by geographic areas within our district
offices. We are setting up different testing sessions at different com-
munity centers, libraries, schools, other facilities where we can get
free space. These tests will be given in that locality for all the in-
individuals that have been identified there.
The tests have raised a number of questions, obviously, today, but
the test is the medium which we use is one of several elements in the
selection processes, screening device.
The people, then, also fill out what is called a cultural familiarity
questionnaire. This is an attempt to get an idea of the background an
individual has in his ability to deal effectively with the population
found within that small geographic area that he could potentially
be assigned to work.
PAGENO="0113"
~O9
The application, test results, cultural familiarity questionnaire come
back to the district offices. At this point they are processed in terms of
the small geographic area. As the crew leaders, for instance say, we
need to have 10 enumerators from a particular segment of the city,
they will go to the files, structured in a geographic manner, pull out
the necessary applications there. They will be going through a rank
ordering process based upon the test score to identify the most capable
people in terms of the test. These individuals, then, will be put onto
a form and delivered out to the~ crew leader for the final selection
process. There is an interview which is used to screen individuals,
because some of our jobs, particularly in rural and suburban areas
require the use of a car, for instance. If a person does not have access
to a car they can be reserved for Other jobs, but not necessarily fill the
assignment that would be forthcoming at that moment. So there is
an interview process by the crew leader of the individual to be hired.
They would, then, select, going down this list the most capable
people they have for that small geographic area. With the constraints
of being indigenous to the area~ and being familiar with the cul-
tures that are in that particular geographic area.
Mr. LOWRY. Have we ever had sensitizing programs for the manage-
ment personnel relative to the yarious different minority questions
that come up? The sensitizing of that management personnel so that
they would be as aware of these difficulties as possible, as they are
going through this selection process.
Mr. ScHw]~ITzER. In terms of the permanent census staff, any of
those of us who rise up to the management levels, yes, there are. We
are, of necessity, required to have both management training programs
and sensitization training programs.
But in terms of the temporary staff that we are hiring, the Bureau
has gone much further than it ever has before, in terms of past census,
developing a self-study program which does raise a lot of very basic
issues about the census. This is being used in all the supervisory level
staff within the district offices. This consists of a self-study, a tape
presentation involving seven cassettes and other materials. At the
formal training sessions with the~ district managers and their top sup-
ervisory staff there are sessions dealing with communication and
interpersonal relationship and direction and motivation of staff.
As far as sensitization as to particular issues and background fea-
tures of the community, we are hoping, in effect, to overcome this by
hiring people that know the community and come from the cOm-
munity. There is just not the tjme and budgetary ability to carry
this out in terms of the kind of programs that I think were suggested
here today. There is more being done this time in the census than in
prior years.
Dick, thank you very much. Do you have a question, Ms. Batayola?
Ms. BATAYOLA. Yes, I have a question.
After hearing all the testimor~y today, throughout the day people
have identified the different groups that would need bilingual in-
terpreters or translators. After h aring that would you have the power
as well as the will to identify a certain number of enumerator posi-
tions, specifically provide enumerators as appropriate to the
population?
PAGENO="0114"
110
Mr. SChwEITzER. The answer is, I have directed in the training
sessions that all the district managers look very carefully at their
areas of carrying out the work and identify all the different language
and minority situations they would have to face and make sure they
have a staff on hand, on April 1, to carry out the enumeration relation-
ship for their constituency. Now, they know the areas far better than
I. Those are the instructions they have, make sure they have them and
I will reemphasize this again in a memo to all the district managers, to
make sure that they have addressed the problems of the communities,
have faced up to it and have the necessary staff on hand.
Mr. FERRELL. Are you suggesting that a certain number of enumera-
tor positions be reserved for bilingual enumerators? Is that what you
are asking?
Ms. BATAYOLA. Not necessarily. What I am after, he is setting the
tone and he is setting the policy and, of course, what I needed to hear
was to have more specifics as to x number of enumerators for a certain
area and within that area these are the following languages that will
be necessary. `Would there be a specific person, number specified of
enumerators with those capabilities that need to be hired?
Mr. SCHWEITZER. There are basic work load estimates set up for the
production standards that we hope the enumerators can carry out.
These are based upon a geographic area.
What we are really talking about is focusing onto particular situa-
tions as they are uncovered. In fact, this is one that is difficult to try to
come up with in terms of a work load. Let me just use an example.
We have had a number of areas in recent years, last year when we
were conducting some of our preparatory work which involved lan-
guage difficulties, need for bilingual people. One involved a Russian
community down in Oregon. `We went to the Russian leadership, asked
them to identify somebody to serve with us as a translator. `We would,
then, work with that person and our enumerator too, in a pair, to do the
effective listing that was required at that point. `We have done the same
thing on the American Indian communities, particularly with the
elders on reservations. By going to the tribal authorities, asking for
assistance in identification of a bilingual person, in effect, to work on
that particular need. So when we identify the need we will hire the
necessary people to go in and do that job.
Mr. LOWRY. `Well, again, most of this process will be handled through
the district offices. So the key certainly seems to be supervisory person-
nel that have been selected in district offices to carry out this basic
policy. Is that correct, Rick?
Mr. SCHWEITZER. Yes; you are very correct, sir.
In fact, let me, for the record, identify what just came up this
morning in some numbers what the minority composition of our
supervisory staff is, at this time, in the 24 district offices in this re.~ion.
`We have appointed to date, as of yest.erday morning, 193 persons
of supervisory level. Of this number 5.2 percent are identified as being
black; 3.1 percent identified as being of Spanish ancestry; American
Indian is 5.2 percent; of Asian background ancestry 2.1 percent. That
leaves about 84 percent for white population.
We have, I believe, a. staff out there that is committed to insuring
that affirmative action is carried out at all levels. That was one of the
basic questions that I asked during all of the interviews for our key
PAGENO="0115"
ii'
supervisory staff, particularly district managers. They are committed
to this and they will insure that it is carried out. But of necessity I
cannot, in Seattle, anticipate all the needs in the diverse eight States
that we have. The district managers can and will insure that it is
carried out.
Mr. LOWRY. Rick, can you provide for us that information and the
estimated population within the district offices for each of the dis-
tricts so we could have that for our use? Did you say you have 24
districts within the eight States? Could you provide that by district
and the profile of the district and, then, of course, the supervisory per-
sonnel that has been selected to date?
Mr. SCHWEITZER. Yes.
Mr. LOWRY. Well, again, thank you very much. We will stand ad-
journed.
I appreciate everyone's cooperation today and I think it has been a
very successful hearing. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 5 :40 p.m., the hearing was closed.]
[The letters and statements which follow were received for the
record:]
PAGENO="0116"
112
U.S. Department of Labor Employment Standards Administration
909 First Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98174
Reply to the Attention of: RAO
February 25, 1980
Congressman Robert Garcia
U.S. House of Representatives
1711 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Congressmaii Garcia:
Enclosed is written testimony on 1980 Census issues, which those submitting
would like included as part of the official record for the February 15 Sub-
committee hearing in Seattle. Some of this testimony has been put in the
form of letters addressed to me, although the intent is submission as hearing
testimony. If this is a problem, please let me know, and I will ask the
individuals involved to restructure the format of what they have written.
Let me again thank you for conducting the hearing in Seattle to allow us
an opportunity to express our concerns. We have already seen several positive
results from the hearing, particularly in increased communication and coopera-
tion between the regional Census staff and various community groups. The
hearing gave both sides an opportunity to realize they were interested in the
same thing - a complete Census count.
If I can be of any further assistance to you in the future, regarding Census
issues or particularly on data gathering on migrant and seasonal farmworkers,
please let me know. We all look forward to your visit again to our area,
although this time I promise no snow.
Yours truly,
Alice Larson
Migrant Coordinator
Enclosure 9826 14th AvenueS. It'. . Seattle, Washington 98106 . Telephone (206) 764-4220
SERVICE * EMPLOYMENT * REDEVELOPMENT
SER/Jobs for Progress, mt.
February 15, 1980
Census Oversight Hearings
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
1634 19th St.
Seattle, Washington 98122
TO: Congressman. Robert Garcia, Chairperson
Congressional Subcommittee on Census
and Population
601 Annex #1
Washington, D.C. 20515
Government officials estimate that at least sixty billion dollars
will be allocated for various projects by the Federal Government
based on the results of the 1980 Census.
PAGENO="0117"
113
Today, one-fifth of Hispanic families live~ in poverty. Our unem-
ployment rate is nearly double that of the general population.
Many of our children are undereducated. Only half of their parents
graduated from high school. In short, every indicator defining
progress shows us still far behind. Witho~ut an accurate count we
stand to lose precious funding dollars for programs specifically
addressing these needs.
In the 1980's, Hispanics will be the nation's largest minority.
Unless that reality is clearly documented by the 1980 Census, we
will continue to lose out on our fair share of government funds
for on-the-job lraining, housing, education, economic development
and the opportunity to share in the economic growth of our country.
We are all concernedthat this census truly reflect the count of
the Spanish-speaking in this country. It is obvious that we in the
Hispanic community cannot afford to see these resources continue to
go elsewhere. We need sincere attention and support for programs
which are attempting to provide these much needed services to the
underprivileged Hispanic community. We need more equitable repre-
sentation in city halls, county courthouses, state houses, and the
nation's capitol. Hispanics have earned a better life. The 1980
Census could help make it a reality.
Sincerely,
Sohn Gonsalez
Executive Director
LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN, AMERICAN CITIZENS
OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY
LULAC #4707
2731- 10th
February 15, 1980 Everett~, Wa. 98201
(206) 258-1011 or 258-4747
Census Oversight Hearings
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
1634 19th St.
Seattle, Washington 98122
TO: Congressman Robert Garcia, Chairperson
Congressional Subcommittee on Census
and Population
601 Annex #1
Washington, D.C. 20515
The League of United Latin American Citizens of Snohomish County, Washington;
together with LULAC in the State of Washington and LULAC throughout the United
States of America, call upon the U.S. Department of Census to promote and pro-
vide for the accurate count of Hispanics. This will assure an accurate count
of undocumented workers through a genuine outreach which will allow Hispanics
equal representation.
We are resolved and ready to assist and promote with you for parity in the
census and the equitable representation for all Hispanics through our country.
Please call on us as we are ready to work with you in this most important and
historical event.
Sincerely,
Gilbert Salcido
LULAC Snohomish County Washington
66-270 0 - 80 -
PAGENO="0118"
114
OPPORTUNIDADES RURALES DEL NOROESTE
914 N. STATFORD ROAD * TELEPHONE 165-8839 * MOSES LAKE, WA. 98837
February 13, 1980
TES~I?~DNY `0~ ThE
fXNRE~SI0NAL SUBtIMMITTEE
ON CENSUS AND POPULATION
Thu 1980 U.S. Census has becane an interest of great importance to many of
us who are actively involved with rural ccxmiunities.
in the Northwest we have very unique conditions that "regular census
processes" exclude, masses of rural porulations, specifically farmcorker.s.
Mail out forms may be effective for sane populations who can read,
write, and understand the importance of census count efforts. House to
house census counts are usually surveyed in incorporated areas.
The vast majority of the areas' farmaorkers are Mexican-American.
The life styles vary fran migratory to causunity settled farmeorkers who
cork the seasons. It's no great secret that subculture, language, present/
past life experiences have conditioned farmcorkers to exist in suspicion of
the daninate groups and "their ways."
In our efforts to help reawaken social consciousness and social
responsibility, rural local governing bodies are not reflective of the pop-
ulation make up. Thus in providing direction or leadership for progranm
to destroy this rnensterous poverty cycle, we need correct and accurate data.
Most fanacorkers reside in substandard housing usually located in
unincorporated areas, which are not surveyed due to language barriers,
excessability, cost, lack of understanding and sensitivity, (in) `~rbey don't
want to be counted because all are fran Mexico and here illegally." Men-
tality still exists and continues to be reir~forced by the systenm in our
cnTmunity.
The invisible I armeorker is the best because then we don't have to
deal with him other than to cork the fields.
The Issues I `ye attmpted to address are multi problen. The 1930 U.S.
Census, if done correctly, will be a tool to use In putting proper prospec-
tive on-our areas population. Efforts to help balance our expressed con-
cerns are greatly appreciated.
Respectfully, - /
~*
Thalando Adame
PAGENO="0119"
115
CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON
CENSUS & POPUI.ATION~
TESTIMONY - COLUMBIA BASIN
Introductions - Congressman Garcia and subcommitee members, I would
like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to
speak here today.
My testimony is in regard to the upcoming 1980 U.S. Census and
our concern over its ability to accurately count all minorities, as
well as migrant and seasonal farmworkers. To~better demonstrate the
need for improvement in minority population counts, I'd like to share
our personal experience in working with the past U.S. Census.
In an effort to improve mental health services to the Spanish-
speaking in Grant County, we are currently writing a grant for funding
a bilingual/bicultural therapist position at the Mental Health Center.
However, in the course of our research, we found that 1970 Census
population statistics by race were deficient In accurately assessing
total minority numbers. The data under-estimated the actual size of
our Mexican-American population for the following three reasons:
(1) Minorities in unincorporated areas of the County were not
surveyed due to language barriers and lack of cultural
understanding.
(2) Migrant and seasonal farmworkers, a majority of which are
Mexican-American, were not included in the census figures,
and
(3) The unicorporated rural areas of the County were not sur-
veyed very thoroughly.
Other services in addition to mental health have remained in-
adequate in meeting the needs of minorities in the Columbia Basin.
Low-income medical clinics are scarce and more day care centers for
many working mothers are needed. If the Census counted minorities
correctly, we would see better housing in the Moses Lake, Ephrata,
and Quincy region. And yet the housing conditions for many Mexican-
Americans and Blacks are still substandard. Even our rural City
Councils do not abide by affirmative action policies which state
that the local governing body be reflective of the community. Not
one Mexican-American or Black is represented on the Moses Lake City
Council despite the fact that these ethnic groups constitute 30%
and 10% of the city's population respectively.
Hence, as social service providers, we cannot adequately meet
the needs of minority clientele unless we have sufficient backgroung
information with which to work. We therefore appeal your consideration
of the following recommendations: . -
PAGENO="0120"
116
(1) A more thorough count of minorities in the unin-
corporated areas of the Columbia Basin.
(2) The Census surveyers should be trained in giving
all census takers a full, clear explanation as to
what the Census is about and how it is administered
for the people's benefit. This would reduce the
suspicion that some people hold of the Census as an
invasion of their privacy by the government.
(3) A clearer definition of the "migrant" and "seasonal
farmworkers", which would allow the Census to take a
more accurate count of those who change residence
frequently.
(4) A better observance of the "235" Home Loan grant
discounts for minorities, including seniors and
the handicapped. Many times people who are eligible
for those housing discounts are not made aware of
them.
(5) And finally, we feel that Census counts of minorities
would help the representation of local city councils
to better reflect all groups of the population.
We would appreciate receiving your response to our concern on
these issues. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Don Palermo
(509) 765-9239
Idaho Legal Aid Services, Inc.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
117 South 6th Avenue / P.O. Box 913
Boise, Idaho 83701
(208) 336-8980
February 114, 1980
Ms. Alice Larson
U.S. Department., of Labor (E.S.A.)
141141 Federal Office Building
909 First Avenue
Seattle, WashIngton 981714
Dear Ms. Larson:
I wish to formally comment on matters relating to the
1980 Census and those individuals with whom we traditionally
represent - the seasonal and migrant farmworkers of Idaho.
Please feel free to include my comments in the hearing record
which I presume will be established on Friday, February 15th
in Seattle, Washington. .
PAGENO="0121"
117
The significance of the census is well known by both the
general public and programs such as ours which depend upon those
census figures for funding and for consideration by the govern-
ment of matters of interest to our clients. To the extent that
those figures dorived from the census are inaccurate or fail to
totally describe the present life-style and life locations of
individuals the census fails to fulfill its purpose We have
great concerns regarding existing plans for the 1980 Census and
wish to express some of those concerns at this time
The primary concern that we have r~lates to our intimate
knowledge of the life-style of migrants who come to Idaho and the
difficulty of knowing exactly where they can be located at any
one time In Idaho there are a series of major camps which house
a large number of migrants and seasonal farmworkers However
there are also thousands of individual housing locations scattered
throughout the hills of the Trea~ure and Magic Valleys and these
locations are neither obvious nor easy to fjnd In many instances
they are n in any way
to the individual farmers whose address may appear on mailing lists
for that particular property. Often times those housing units
are used by illegal aliens who have no contacts with the outside
community. This suggests that any attempt to mail out questionnaires
will fail very clearly.
A second concern which we have again relates to the housing
location of migrants and the time during which they can be found
in Idaho. It is our experience that migrants traditionally come
to Idaho in the very latter part of April and the early part of
May. This suggests that any mailing to locations and indeed any
attempt to personally visit housing locations in early April will
fail to denote the true number of migrant and seasonal farmworkers
who reside in Idaho on an annual basis. Again, statistics acquired
during these off months will simply be inaccurate and will fail
to denote the true status of migrant problems in Idaho. Any attempt
to rely on these inaccurate problems will shortchange Idaho as
regards the funding of all federal programs and will fail to give
the U.S. Government and related agencies the proper perspective
they need to resolve important problems dealing with these individuals.
We believe very strongly that additional efforts must be
made to determine the number of migrants and seasonal farmworkers
living in Idaho. It is my belief that these efforts must at a
minimum consist of an attempt to recruit and hire individuals who
are bilingual and totally familiar with the housing locations of
migrants and seasonal farmworkers in their communities. One
promising example of this would be the Census' Idaho Special Loca-
tions Representative's recent interest in hiring our summer outreach
workers during the months of March and~April to make contacts with
migrants at these migrant housing locations. These individuals
do not work for us during the early Spring months and will be able
to visit housing locations'of individuals. Most importantly these
individuals are totally familiar with the locations of a great
number of seasonal and migrant farmworkers. It would appear to
me that there are people like this in every community and they are the
ones who could be hired to find the residences and to acquire the
information that is necessary.
Even more importantly, those individuals are recognized
in the community and are individuals who have the confidence of
migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Through their bilingual abilities
they can approach, individuals including illegal aliens who might
naturally be wary of any strangers. This recognition and confi-
dence will result in additional data being acquired for the census.
It would appeOr to me as if there should be a large number
of individuals who have worked in past summers as migrant school
PAGENO="0122"
118
coordinators or as Headstart Individuals or teachers aloes ano
that all of these persons could be used to personally visit these
special locations. Without this personal contact I believe the
census figures will be useless and incapable of accurately reflect-
ing the number of individuals actually living in the Idaho communities
each year.
In closing, let me suggest that we strongly support the
idea that special efforts must be made to personally contact
our clients in the communities in which they live and that
special efforts must be made to recognize that those clients may
not necessarily be in the communities during the months in
which the personal contacts are presently planned by the census
employees. Furthermore, and given the fact that these figures
will probably be unnecessarily low as compared to the actual
number of individuals living in the community, we believe that
special effots must be made to supplement the record as regards
migrants and seasonal farmworkers to include data concerning
peak season months.
Thanking you in advance for your assistance in seeing that
these concerns are passed on to the members of the committee,
I remain,
Sincerely yours,
- Managing Attorney
Migrant Farmworkers Law Unit
STATE OF DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTI4 SERVIC.~S
WASHINGTON o~. w,sw~~o~ wsO4 ~,,
Dixy Lee Ray ~o ~ 0
Gosernor ~,, ,-..~ çq
>1 e.g:
..5
~rTl
Testimony before the Mouse Subcommittee on Census and p
Population of the 96th Congress.
Congressman Robert Garcia of New York presiding,
presented at Seattle, February 15, 1980
prepared by State of Washington,
Department of Social and Health Services,..~
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
office address: OB - 31C
Olympia, Wash~r.g ton 98504
FOLLOW-UP SURVEY TO 1980 CENSUS - QUESTION ON DISABILITY
Thank you Congressman Garcia. I am pleased to have the opportunity to testify
before you about a matter of great importance. Ny name is Robert C. Thurston.
I am a program manager for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation with
Headquarters in the State Capitol. Vocational Rehabilitation is a program
which provides a wide variety of rehabilitative services including evaluation,
counseling, physical restoration, training, equipment and other services
in order to enable disabled persons to gain full employment.
My responsibilities as a program manager include management of the Independent
Living Program, advisor and consultant to the Division and Department, and
other state agencies on effective implementation of the non-discrimination
on the basis of hshdicap requirement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973.
PAGENO="0123"
119
As you are aware, Congress has mandated that program emphasis in Vocational
Rehabilitation be directed first to the severely disabled segment of our
disabled population. We are also to serve many who, although not severely
disabled, do have a disability which interferes with their employability.
I am proud of th.e fact that we are one of the~most cost effective social
service providers, Rehabilitation saves between $5 and $11 for each $1
of taxpayer investment. But I do not know if we are reaching the
Congressionally mandated service population adequately because I do not
know what that population is or how it is distributed, If we believe that
there are 100 disabled potential clients'-'-and~ we are reaching 75.~we are
quite effective, But if there are 200 disabled potential clients'--and
we are reaching 75-then our service is not nearly as adequate, Only the
accurate count of the disabled population, which the 1980. Census and its follow-
up survey will provide, can tell me which is the case.
The j~oint at issue is the funding for that follow-up survey on the disabled
population which the Bureau of Census has requested in order to assure valid
state-level counts of the disabled population~. The Office of Management and
Budget has disallowed $10,000,000 that the Census Bureau planned to spend
for this follow-up survey. Without the follow-up survey, the general Census
question on the disabled will not yield the information necessary to provide
valid state-level statistical data for program planning purposes.
Non-Census estimates of the disabled population vary widely; so widely that
we can not determine which are valid.
Washington's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has been so in need of
good statistical data on Washington's disabled population that we have sought
to invest half a million dollars to get a statistically valid count.
So that leaves me, as a prngram manager, and the others in the agency with
service planning responsibilities, not knowing how many severely disabled
there are, or what their disabilities are, or how many reside in this state,
or how many need service. Nor do we have such information about the less
severely disabled.
The last comprehensive data (presumably a complete count) is that from the
1970 Census. Since then, many severely disabled young adults (the most
viable population that Vocational Rehabilitation serves) have returned from
the Vietnam War or have become disabled because of accident or disease.
In order to intelligently plan services for our disabled clients, we must
have an accurate data base, as must every other group that serves this
population. The needs of different disabilities are very different so we
need information about the disabled by disability, as well as an accurate
count. We are counting on the 1980 Census and its follow-up survey to give
us these valid state-level statistics. The extant to which we need these sta'
tistics is convincingly demonstrated by the fact that we considered such
information for Washington State alone wort1t~ $500,000.
Virtually every other state, and each service agency within it, has the same
problem. One 10 million dollar Federal Census question and follow-up survey
is much cheaper than fifty state surveys.
1980 begins the Decade of the Disabled. Almost all Federal programs which
serve this population,and many state and private programs, base:their service
delivery plans upon accurate statistical counts of the population to be served.
To emasculate service to this priority group in the misguided effort to save
$10,000,000 makes a travesty of the intentions of Congress; futile the efforts
of thousands working in the service delivery system so that they may serve the
disabled well, and a mockery of the wants, needs, and desires of our largest
and most poorly served minority. Don't make us wait another ten years.
Require the Office of Management and Budget to reinstate the disability follow-
up survey. Thank you.
PAGENO="0124"
120
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
SEVfl1E, \~ASI1ING1ON 9t195
February 12, 1980
School of Medicine
Depart ;ncnt of Rehabilitation Medicine, RJ-30
Testimony presented to Congressman Garcia by David Haley, Assistant Director
for Program, Independent Living Evaluation Project.
I have, two major concerns with respect to the deletion of a follow-on
effort by the Bureau of the Census to capture relevant data with respect
to the population of persons with disabilities:
1. The extreme paucity of data (not only in population count but
especially so in socio-economic demographics) necessarily makes
creditable research in disability issues almost impossible; and
2. This same lack of data and consequent research results would appear
make the implementation of existing private and state and
federal public social service programs (e.g., Title XIX,
CETA) with respect to the disabled community less efficient
than desirable. This comment is all the more important
recognizing the current development of national catastrophic
medical insurance programs.
Of course, the impact of this lack of data upon affirmative action plans
Is obvious (and will be addressed by others).
I would, therefore, urge that the Congress of the U.S. provide the support
necessary for a follow-on disability demographics effort by the Census.
COMITI~ DE PERSONAS DE HABLA ESPAf~OLA DE OREGON
Committee of Spanish Speaking People of Oregon
...-. ...
February 12, 1980
Alice Larson, Migrant Coordinator
U.S. Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration
909 First Ave.
Seattle, Wa. 98174
Dear Ms. Larson:
The Committee of Spanish Speaking People of Oregon would
like to express its concern over the following issues surrounding
the 1980 Census.
Despite the fact that there is verbal commitment to the
employing of minorities to secure a more accurate count of the
minority communities, a screening exam is set up whose validity
is questionable. How much do the questions in the exam actually
PAGENO="0125"
121
relate to the job for which the individual is applying? The
sample questions seem to indicate that differences in dialect
might exclude candidates quite able to perform the job, being
"deviants" from the accepted norm of English grammar.
Also, it is our understanding that EEO statistics will
not begin to be compiled until April, so how can deficits in
minority personnel be rectified at~that late date? How does the
Census Bureau know whether it is hiring representative numbers
of minority employees to effectively deal with their communities?
The confidentiality of the census information is also
somewhat in question. Statements addressing this issue are
invariably cou~hed in such careful terminology as, "There has
never been a case on record where personal information has been
released by the Bureau of the Census~ Have there been cases off
the record? Also, the Council of Bishops would only give their
support to participation in the census, but would not guarantee
the confidentiality of the information provided. What assurances
can be given that the information will not somehow be put to use
against the ones who participate? It is a widely-acknowledged
fact that census data is used for appropriating funds for
various services and needs. It would seem to follow that funding
for INS workers to be sent to those areas where concentrations of
non-citizens reside, be they registered aliens or not, would be
based on census data as well.
In 1979, there were preliminary agreements made between the Census
Bureau and our organization, COSSPO, to have census staff members working out
of our offices, hiring the necessary personnel to carry out the 1980 census.
Again, these turned out to be vain promises. What assurances do we have that
the other promises are not empty as well?
The difficulty in locating members of many minority populations,
plus convincing them to participate in the census is a problem that has often
been addressed. It is still a concern that we share and would like to see
resolved, providing there are adequate assurances that confidentiality of the
information is not an issue.
Our interest is to get an accurate count of the population, just
as yours is, and we are doing everything within our power to cooperate with
Census Bureau staff to make this happen. However, our ability to convince others
that they should participate in this important event will be contingent upon
our own conviction that there are true affirmative action efforts being put
forth in the hiring practices of the Bureau and that the utilization of the
information secured will be for the betterment of all.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to be heard.
ILa *~ do
Armando Laguardia
Executive Director
DATE: February 13, 1980
TO: Subcommittee on Census and Population and
Committee on Post Office and Civil Service
Congressman Robert Garcia, Chairman
FROM:. Millie Russell, President
Seattle Multi-Greek Council
702 - 33rd Avenue South
Seattle, Washington 98144
RE: Population Census
PAGENO="0126"
122
Several concerns surface and must be shared with you regarding the process
thus far by our government to cake 1980 the most accurate Census ever.
1. Why are so few minorities in top census jobs in Region X? If the se-
lection process was through our legislator offices, who allowed so few
people of color to be considered? Only one district office in Seattle
has an administrator that is an ethnic minority, Bea Kiyohara. Even
from Mike Lowry's office, only one Asian name was submitted for an
administrative appointment. No Black or American Indians were even
suggested.
2. The University of Washington census course has minority students in
it only because I recruited most of them at the last minute after I
finally tracked down the course, just before the close of registration.
The channels for getting minority students into that course were
abominable and restrictive. How were minority students to know of this
unique opportunity for a fantastic educational exposure and job on the
federal payroll? Churches, community organizations and pertinent campus
organizations that serve as a network for minority students were never
contacted.
As a result, I question the real commitment and expertise of census planners to
do an effective job in the 1980 Census. Without minority people participating
in the planning and decision caking at all levels, (not just a few enumerators),
the methodology is faulty and we are likely to again suffer severe undercounts
of people of color.
Testimony on the
1980 Census
Presented by
Seattle Indian Health Board
February 15, 1980
The Seattle Indian Health Board is pleased to have this opportunity to
present our views on the forthcoming Census and its impact on the Indian
community.
While we are not familiar with the way in which the Census is conducted,
we are aware' of the impact the Census has on the services Indian and Alaskan
Native People receive. We are also aware of the severe undercount of this
population during the last Census and the difficulty this has created in the
provision of services to Indians and Alaskan Natives.
PAGENO="0127"
123
There has long been considerable discontent among Indians in the enumera-
tion of their population and its subsequent application to such programs as
Revenue Sharing, health service funding, and appropriations for other state and
Federal programs. Because so many Federal programs allocate funds on a basis
of capitation computations, the serious underenümeration of the Indian people
penalizes their equitable receipt of funds for health, housing, education, and
other social and economic services. The Seattle Indian Health Board recently
completed a major planning effort as a part of an Indian Health Service report
to the HEW Secretary and Congress for continued authorizations for urban Indian
Health. Mandated to use the 1970 Census projected to 1981, the issue of Indian
Census became a crucial and vitally important one.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The 1970 Census is seriously and demonstrably underenumerated with respect
to Indians and Alaskan Natives. Factors contributing to this underenumeration
include:
1) Assumption of Race
In face to face enumeration, the census taker often assumes or
guesses at the race of the respondent. It sometimes happens that a
white head of household is the respondent, and as a result it is
assumed that the entire family is white.
It may also be assumed that all Spanish-surnamed people are
of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent, rather than Native American.
Many Southwestern peoples were given Spanish surnames by well-
meaning and ignorant priests who could not be bothered to master
the Indian language and Indian names.~
The lack of a clear definition for determination of Indian
heritage or identification handicaps both Indian and non-Indian.
Without clear guidelines, it is sometimes difficult for an
individual of Indian descent, especially an urban resident, to
know how to declare himself.
Ignorance of recorders or indifference results in the
incorrect race being recorded on birth certificates. One Indian
mother reported that although she told the nurse she was of Indian
and Spanish descent, the nurse insisted that Indian and Spanish
equaled Mexican, and so registered the child.
PAGENO="0128"
124
No provision for reporting dual heritage, e.g. Indian-
white or Indian-Black.
And, finally, there is the additional factor that the
Native American population is a very diversified one, with a
long history of unique cultural identification. Not all Indian
people `look like Indians," end not all Indians look alike.
Although it is popular to stereotype the Indian in popular movies
and televised portrayals, there is enormous somatotypic as well
as genotypic variation among Indian people. And the addition of
non-In'flan genetic material has created further blurring of the
Indian stereotype. Full-blooded or wholly Indian-acculturated
Individuals may not appear Indian at all, but their entire
orientation and cultural perspective may be Indian.
2) Eligibility Restrictions Limit Access
Programs which report numbers of people served often base
their population estimates on those people who get into the official
record because they sought services. However, all programs have
eligibility guidelines which prohibit certain classifications of
people from seeking services, so that a service population is far
from an accurate population perfection.
In addition, different programs have different eligibility
requirements, so' that the same individual may be eligible for one
program, yet denied access to another because there is no inter-
agency standardization of eligibility requirements or agreement on
definition of the population to be served. Eligibility guidelines
instruct programs to restrict services according to income (Public
Assistance), residence (Indian Health Service), relation to head
of household, age (Medicare), etc. Such restrictions upon who can
access a service will produce fallacious estimates of the total
population in need. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that
even where a greater service population is known to exist, agencies
still insist on accepting lower census data rather than press for
changes or increased appropriations.
3) High Mobility
Urban areas often do not produce accurate Indian statistical
PAGENO="0129"
125
data because Indians are a highly mobile people. Individuals and
whole families can be missed because they only recently left a
reservation and have not yet settled in a place~ of their own in
the city. The Bureau of Indian Affairs encouraged and contributed
to this high migration through their Relocation programs initiated
in the 1950's, programs which dispersed, scatter and disenfranchised
many Indian people, cutting them off from services.
4) Fears on the part of the Enumerators
Census takers in some cases have been afraid to enter Indian
communities in order to take the census. Thus people on
reservations or within urban enclaves may have been missed.
5) Language Barriers
indian people often grow up speaking English as a second
language, and many Indians on larger reservations continue to be
bilingual even today. Some elders have a poor~command of English,
so that communication can be a problem. Interpreters and Native
census takers would be a necessity under these circumstances.
6) Foster Home Placement
Many Indian children are removed from their parents and
placed in non-Indian foster homes, under conditions and circum-
stances which would not apply to white parents. Thus, an Indian
foster child may not be enumerated as Indian, or his tribal
affiliation may be lost.
7) Institutionalized Populations
Although not the problem it once was for Indian people,
Indian children in boarding schools, and Indian people in other
institutions (jails, prisons, nursing homes) may be missed, or
again subject to the errors of assumption.
8) Adoption of Indian children
Parents adopting an Indian child may not know the tribal
affiliation of the adopted child, and a child placed for adoption
may never be recorded on tribal rolls. Moreover, an Indian child
adopted by non-Indian parents may have his genetic heritage
eradicated by the legal maneuver of declaring the child a legal
descendent of a non-Indian.
PAGENO="0130"
126
9) Common Census Problems
In addition to the special circumstances which may contribute
to the underenumeration of Indian people, there are those well-
recognized problems which have been discussed frequently in the
literature regarding the difficulties in conducting a universal
census.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INDIAN COMMUNITY
One of the fundamental concepts in planning is to know for whom you are
planning. All good planning pre-supposes an accurate enumeration of the
population to be served. If the total population is not accurately counted,
the plan developed from this erroneous data is assured of failure because it
will not meet the needs of the people for whom it was developed.
Failure to accurately determine the beneficiary population will result
in a multiplicity of problems, among which might be included:
1) Duplicative Efforts
If the original survey is inaccurate, there may be the
necessity for repeating the survey if the undercount comes to
light. Repeated community surveys are expensive in terms of
time, money and manpower, and they serve further to alienate the
community people. Residents of a community which is oversurveyed tend
to become indifferent about their answers, inclined not to answer
at all, and hostile to the interviewers. This community aliena-
tion can produce further skewing of the data collected, especially
if the respondent will tell the interviewer anything to get rid
of them.
2) Inadequate Services
If the population projections are seriously underenumerated,
then the funding for services on which those data are available
will be far less than the actual dollar amount needed. This results
in severe cost-cutting, reduction of services, inadequate
services, and sometimes outright denial of services.
3) Inappropriate Services
If a particular segment of the population is not counted
accurately, the wrong or inappropriate services may be planned
for and provided. If an undercount of elderly people takes
PAGENO="0131"
127,
place, then emphasis may be placed on services~for youth; if
youth is undercounted, there may be too much emphasis on
services for the elderly.
4) The "Multipler Effect"
The inaccurate data collected by one agency may be picked
up and used by another agency, thus compounding the original
error. In addition, if erroneous data is repeated often enough,
it takes on a spurious cloak of appearing to be the "true and
accurate" figure. Such recitation from agency~ to agency of false
data has the effect of compounding and multiplying the error.
5) Loss of Resources
Because a great deal of money for program operation and
development is allocated on a per capita basis to communities,
the severe underenumeration costs much needed dollars which might
otherwise accrue to the Indian community.
6) The Double Standard
Federal agencies encourage "self determination" and self-
government, yet those same agencies often refuse to accept
tribal enrollment data collected by that governmental unit (even
when this data can be verified).
Few agencies will accept tribal enrollment data as a true
and accurate reflection of the extant population, yet this is some
of the most carefully collected data available because of the
enormous legal implications for fishing, inheritance, and
educational benefits.
7) Planning for the Past, Not the Future
The inability to realistically plan for ~he future,
because the data restricts and limits accurate projections is
a hazard of having a serious shortage of people in the data
base. Starting from a false premise means that planning and
programs will always be behind current needs and will not ade-
quately project future needs, thus essentially keeping the
planning always in the past and preventing it from accurately
addressing the future.
PAGENO="0132"
128
8) Jurisdictional Problems
The implications for underenumeration with respect- to issues
of legal jurisdiction are less clear, but severe underenumeration
may create major problems with respect to economic development,
law enforcement, the provision of emergency services, the
availability of essential public health services (water, sewage
and waste disposal), and other areas. Indian people have experienced
in the past oversight and failure to be included in programs
because it was assumed that their numbers were to few to matter.
9) Indian Identity
A peoples' sense of self and pride in self is in part a
reflection of their numeric strength. If the.dominant society
continues to maintain and support the myth of the "vanishing
American', then Indian youth can, and do, develop an inferiority
complex and a sense of disillusionment which can be very
destructive. Coupled with the prejudice and lack of understanding
about Indian culture and heritage, the non-Indian's dealings
with Indian children can be callous and detrimental.
The Seattle Indian Health Board maintains a registered patient population
of nearly 20,000 Indians and Alaskan Natives. Nearly all of our registered
patients reside in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. Yet, the 1970
Census counted only approximately 7,000 Indians in this same area.
This testimony presents some of the problems encountered in utilizing
1970 Census data. While we have no effective solutions to these problems,
we would hope that some effort will be made to more accurately reflect the
number of Indian people in the area.
0