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Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I rise to speak in support of an amendment by my good friend, Senator Mike Johanns, that would prevent our taxpayer dollars from being directed to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, more commonly known as ACORN. I also want to commend the Census Bureau's recent decision to cut all ties with ACORN.
Simply put I am very pleased with this decision, which was announced late last week through a letter from Census Bureau Director Robert Groves to ACORN's National Headquarters. As I met with Dr. Groves in my office just last week, I raised this very issue and expressed my disappointment, along with the disappointment of many of the Utahns I represent, that ACORN would have any association with such an important and historic event such as the 2010 Census.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am always supportive of reasonable efforts to ensure that taxpayer funds are not used for unlawful activities, particularly when those activities may be construed to be partisan in nature. That is why I have followed this particular issue so closely throughout the year and raised the issue directly with Director Groves.
In fact, as next year's census quickly approaches, I continue to work with Census officials at the Commerce Department on all levels. As all Utahns are keenly aware, the Decennial Census requires precision and uniformity--both of which I am closely monitoring as the Census moves forward.
To that end, I am hopeful that the Census Bureau will ensure that all Americans are counted fairly and accurately, with the privacy of the individual always in mind. I applaud Director Groves and his decision for the Census Bureau to cut all ties with ACORN. I am pleased that he listened not only to my concerns, but also to the concerns of thousands of Utahns and Americans from across country who have expressed severe disappointment with ACORN's involvement in the 2010 Census. Personally, I feel ACORN should not have been involved in the 2010 Census in the first place. However, I recognize Director Groves' decision as an important step toward an accurate and fair count and look forward to assisting in additional efforts toward that same end in the near future.
While I am encouraged by the recent actions by the Census Bureau, I believe it is critical to adopt Senator Johanns' amendment so we can know with certainty that partisan political organizations like ACORN will not be underwritten with taxpayer dollars.
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