Sen. Bennett Proposes Bill to Prevent Illegal Aliens from Being Counted in Future Censuses

Monday, September 21, 2009, 12:03 PM EDT

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) has proposed a bill that would require the Census Bureau to ensure that only U.S. citizens are counted during the 10-year count that is used for congressional districting and the Electoral College. Currently, there is no plan to include such a provision in the 2010 count.

"The current system is broken and unfair," Sen. Bennett said. "It does not make any sense for congressional seats and the Electoral College to be determined by a process that unfairly provides the advantage to those communities with high illegal populations. By requiring individuals to confirm their citizenship, my bill would allow the census to report the population of lawful residents, rather than including illegal residents to determine representation."

Concerns over the issue have come from states that could potentially lose representation in Congress if the 2010 count includes illegal aliens. Specifically, the state of Louisiana has expressed concern and its potential loss of representation in Congress. You can view a map of other states that are also currently at risk.

An article from the Wall Street Journal last month quoted Census Bureau executive Dr. Elizabeth Greico who said the survey form that will be used for the 2010 census will not ask about citizenship because "Congress has not asked us to do that." If illegal aliens are counted in the 2010 census, it could result in up to a nine seat swing in California alone.

Sen. Bennett's S.1688 was introduced last week with three cosponsors.

http://www.numbersusa.com/content/news/ ... re-censuse