Press Release - Turner Statement on Missing Census Bureau Computers
Turner Statement on Missing Census Bureau Computers
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Michael R. Turner (R - Centerville), Chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census released the following statement today in response to information he received yesterday from Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. The Commerce Department acknowledged that since 2001, 1,137 laptops have been lost, misplaced, or stolen, including 672 from the Census Bureau. Of those from the Census Bureau, 246 contained personally identifiable information.
"Recently, the Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census held hearings on the role of technology in keeping census costs low and accuracy high. At that time, we were given no indication about any problems concerning missing laptops."
"This demonstrates an absolutely unacceptable level of negligence within the Census Bureau. It appears that the agency charged with accurately counting and reporting the number of Americans has demonstrated that it cannot accurately account for even the laptops it is responsible for maintaining. Census demographic information is used for thousands of purposes, including Congressional apportionment and dividing federal funds. It is astounding to consider that since 2001, the Census Bureau has lost laptops at the average rate of more than one every three days. Incredibly, in over five years nobody seemed to have noticed. Had Government Reform Committee Chairman Davis not requested this information, it might have continued indefinitely."
The Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census will hold hearings to determine how this could have happened and what steps are necessary to prevent it from happening again. With the critical decennial census just over three years away, it is essential that the American people have faith that their personal data is secure when they give it to the Census Bureau. We also must have confidence in the Census Bureau's ability to create accurate data."
http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/press.rel/9.22.06.shtml