S 3167, companion to her HR 4595, would appoint Census director to five-year term, among other provisions
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) reacted tonight to the defeat of S. 3167 in the House on a nearly party-line vote. The Senate companion to her bill (H.R. 4595, cosponsored by Rep. Charlie Dent, R-PA) would have made the Census Bureau director appointed to a five-year term and enable him or her to directly report to the Commerce Secretary to help protect the Bureau from the vagaries of year-to-year bureaucratic battles.
The bipartisan Senate version (sponsored by Sens. Carper and Coburn) passed the Senate unanimously last week, but it fell victim in the House to late-session opposition, losing on a 201-167 vote.
"This was a bipartisan bill, which wouldn't increase costs to the taxpayer, and it deserved a better fate. The bill would have ensured consistent professional management of this major scientific agency, and would minimize political interference of its vital Constitutional mission--and it had the support of every former Bureau director of both parties," Maloney said.
"I'm grateful to Senators Carper and Coburn for their bipartisan leadership on this issue in the Senate. It's clear that the incoming majority on the House Oversight Committee wants to be the party of "no.' "