Boozman Works To Protect 2010 U.S. Census From Corruption

Press Release

U.S. Representative John Boozman (AR-03) announced his support for preventing Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) sister organizations from recruiting census workers.

In September, Boozman voted to block federal funding for ACORN and ACORN related affiliates including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The U.S. Census Bureau also severed its ties with ACORN last month, however it left the connection with the SEIU intact.

"Census data directs the distribution of more than $400 billion per year in federal funding to state and local governments. We cannot have organizations with a record of corruption participating in the collection of this important information," Boozman said.

Official filings show that SEIU, referenced in the U.S. Attorney's indictment of Governor Rod Blagojevich, contributed more than $4 million to ACORN and its affiliates since 2006. According to recent Department of Labor filings, the SEIU employs ACORN Founder and ACORN International Chief Organizer Wade Rathke. Mr. Rathke was recently exposed for running a cover-up of an embezzlement scheme run by his brother.

Boozman signed onto a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director, Robert Groves, urging him to end the partnership with the SEIU. The following is text of the letter:

Due to your concern for the activities of ACORN's "many local offices" and the action taken by Congress to prohibit taxpayer funding for ACORN-related affiliates, we are writing to request that you immediately terminate your Census 2010 partnership with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

On October 15, 2008, National Public Radio reported:
ACORN's biggest union backer, the Service Employees International Union, gave more than $4 million to the community organization and its affiliates from 2006-07, according to Dept. of Labor filings. One SEIU local union, the Illinois Homecare Workers and Home Childcare Providers, sprouted from ACORN's organizing efforts and pays rent to ACORN.

On September 16, 2009, the Washington Times reported that SEIU national president Andy Stern serves on ACORN's advisory council. According to his own Web site, ACORN Founder Wade Rathke is the "Founder and Chief Organizer" of SEIU Local 100.

According to recent filings with the Department of Labor for calendar year 2008, Rathke is employed by SEIU -- a union part of the U.S. Attorney's indictment of Governor Rod Blagojevich. Rathke was also recently exposed as part of a cover-up to conceal an embezzlement scheme run by his brother.

In Chicago, SEIU Local 880 and SEIU Local 1 contributed more than $230,000 to ACORN groups in Illinois and Texas since 2006 -- the most recent to "support election efforts."

SEIU Local 880, which used to boast it was founded by ACORN, used an ACORN e-mail address on its Web site and tax filings, was co-located with an ACORN "tax center" and employed the former president of ACORN Illinois, according to official records.

In a 2006 end-of-year report issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Local 880 recounted working with ACORN to reelect Rod Blagojevich and referred to ACORN as its "sister organization." A new report issued by the Committee in July reports SEIU and SEIU Local 880 are official members of the "ACORN Council," according to whistleblower documents acquired by the Committee.

Earlier this year, SEIU Local 880 became "SEIU Health Care Illinois and Indiana", which is located one floor below ACORN Housing's national headquarters and rents its own space from an ACORN front group called Chicago Organizing and Support Center (COSC).

Official documents show COSC registered at two addresses -- one in Chicago (at the same address as SEIU Local 880/ACORN) and one in New Orleans (at the same address as ACORN New Orleans). Surprisingly, the Illinois Secretary of State's Web site shows COSC's incorporation status was revoked on September 11, 2009 -- one day after the ACORN videos surfaced. The Louisiana Secretary of State shows the group's status active but not in good standing for failure to file its annual report. The Committee of Oversight's report also named COSC as a member of the "ACORN Council."

We support your decision to terminate the Census Bureau's partnership with ACORN to protect the public good and defend the integrity of the Census. Given SEIU's co-location with ACORN in Chicago and SEIU's intimate financial relationship with ACORN, you should take action to protect the public from the corruption of the 2010 census.

To defend the integrity of the process, the Census Bureau should end its close relationship with ACORN's close sister organization, the SEIU.

Source