60-504: The 83rd Texas Legislature began on January 8, 2013. All members of the House and Senate were elected in the general election held on November 6, 2012, with seats apportioned among the 2010 United States census . Texas Senate Bill 5 was among the legislation passed by the eighty-third Texas Legislature and signed into law, signed by Governor Rick Perry on July 18, 2013. 2010 United States census The 2010 United States census
120-737: A statement for the record for various subcommittees of the United States Congress. Most GAO studies and reports are initiated by requests from members of Congress, including requests mandated in statute, and so reflect concerns of current political import, for example to study the impact of a government-wide hiring freeze. Many reports are issued periodically and take a long view of U.S. agencies' operations. The GAO also produces annual reports on key issues such as Duplication and Cost savings and High-Risk Update. The GAO prepares some 900 reports annually. The GAO publishes reports and information relating to, inter alia : Each year
180-441: A 9.7% increase from the 2000 United States Census . This was the first census in which all states recorded a population of over 500,000 people as well as the first in which all 100 largest cities recorded populations of over 200,000. It was the first census since 1930 that California did not record the largest population growth in absolute number. Texas surpassed California's growth by 4.3 million to 3.4 million. As required by
240-432: A downtown census tract which lost only 60 housing units, but 1,400 people, implying that a downtown jail or dormitory was missed in canvassing. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a conference on March 27, 2011, to announce that the city would also challenge his city's census results, specifically the apparent undercounting in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn . Bloomberg said that the numbers for Queens and Brooklyn,
300-469: A former conservative Republican Representative from Minnesota , stated that she would not fill out her census form other than to indicate the number of people living in her household because "the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that." Former Republican representative and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr stated that the census has become too intrusive, going beyond
360-473: A historically low participating ethnicity in the U.S. census. Rapper Ludacris also participated in efforts to spread awareness of the 2010 census. The Census Bureau hired about 635,000 people to find those U.S. residents who had not returned their forms by mail; as of May 28, 2010, 113 census workers had been victims of crime while conducting the census. As of June 29, there were 436 incidents involving assaults or threats against enumerators, more than double
420-528: A resident of Noorvik, Alaska . More than 120 million census forms were delivered by the U.S. Post Office beginning March 15, 2010. The number of forms mailed out or hand-delivered by the Census Bureau was approximately 134 million on April 1, 2010. Although the questionnaire used April 1, 2010, as the reference date as to where a person was living, an insert dated March 15, 2010, included the following printed in bold type: "Please complete and mail back
480-446: A term, the comptroller general has standing to pursue litigation to compel access to federal agency information. The comptroller general may not be removed by the president, but only by Congress through impeachment or joint resolution for specific reasons. Since 1921, there have been only eight comptrollers general, and no formal attempt has ever been made to remove a comptroller general. Labor-management relations became fractious during
540-557: Is limited to official use in order to protect national security. The variety of their reports' topics range from Federal Budget and Fiscal Issues to Financial Management, Education, Retirement Issues, Defense, Homeland Security, Administration of Justice, Health Care, Information Management and Technology, Natural Resources, Environment, International Affairs, Trade, Financial Markets, Housing, Government Management and Human Capital, and Science and Technology Assessments and Analytics. The GAO often produces highlights of its reports that serve as
600-742: Is thought to have many conservative fans, to publicize the census. The results of the 2010 census determined the number of seats that each state received in the United States House of Representatives starting with the 2012 elections . Consequently, this affected the number of votes each state had in the Electoral College for the 2012 presidential election . Because of population changes, eighteen states had changes in their number of seats. Eight states gained at least one seat, and ten states lost at least one seat. The final result involved 12 seats being switched. Some objected to
660-406: Is used. These are core metropolitan rankings versus combined statistical areas. For full list with current data, go to metropolitan statistics . Government Accountability Office The United States Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing , evaluative , and investigative services for
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#1732787866708720-668: The European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA) as an associate member. In 2019, the GAO established a new mission team, the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team, which has primary responsibility for technology assessments. The GAO has published a TA Design Handbook to help technology assessment teams analyze the impact of technology and make complex issues more easily understood and useful to policymakers. The GAO defines TA as
780-621: The Senior Executive Service . The current slate of mission teams is: In addition to its mission teams, the GAO also has 16 operations and staff components that support their work and carryout other agency functions, including its bid decisions. The GAO was established as the General Accounting Office by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921. The act required the head of the GAO to: investigate, at
840-622: The United States Congress . It is the supreme audit institution of the federal government of the United States . It identifies its core "mission values" as: accountability, integrity, and reliability. It is also known as the "congressional watchdog". The agency is headed by the Comptroller General of the United States . The comptroller general is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of
900-651: The United States Constitution , the U.S. Census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790. The 2000 U.S. Census was the previous census completed. Participation in the U.S. Census is required by law of people living in the United States in Title 13 of the United States Code . On January 25, 2010, Census Bureau Director Robert Groves personally inaugurated the 2010 census enumeration by counting World War II veteran Clifton Jackson,
960-482: The comptroller general of the U.S. , a professional and non-partisan position in the U.S. government. The comptroller general is appointed by the president , by and with the advice and consent of the Senate , for a fifteen-year, non-renewable term. The president selects a nominee from a list of at least three individuals recommended by an eight-member bipartisan, bicameral commission of congressional leaders. During such
1020-630: The performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. The name was changed in 2004 to the Government Accountability Office by the GAO Human Capital Reform Act to better reflect the mission of the office. The GAO's auditors conduct not only financial audits, but also engage in a wide assortment of performance audits. Over the years,
1080-412: The 181 incidents in 2000 ; one enumerator, attempting to hand-deliver the census forms to a Hawaii County police officer, was arrested for trespassing – the officer's fellow policemen made the arrest. Some political conservatives and libertarians questioned the validity of the questions and even encouraged people to refuse to answer questions for privacy and constitutional reasons. Michele Bachmann ,
1140-510: The 2000 census, an Internet response option was not offered, nor was the form available for download. Detailed socioeconomic information collected during past censuses will continue to be collected through the American Community Survey . The survey provides data about communities in the United States on a 1-year or 3-year cycle, depending on the size of the community, rather than once every 10 years. A small percentage of
1200-410: The 2010 U.S. Census. Census Bureau director Robert Grove, however, wrote "the Census Bureau has rarely prosecuted failure to respond. While the rationale for the mandatory nature of the census still applies today, our message for the 2010 Census is about the common good benefits of participation". The fine for non-participation is much lower than that for reporting false information. In 2010, that penalty
1260-418: The 2010 census cost to be $ 11 billion. In August 2010, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced that the census operational costs came in significantly under budget; of an almost $ 7 billion operational budget: Locke credited the management practices of Census Bureau director Robert Groves , citing in particular the decision to buy additional advertising in locations where responses lagged, which improved
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#17327878667081320-554: The 2010 census per-capita cost for China was about US$ 1 and for India was US$ 0.40. Operational costs were $ 5.4 billion, significantly under the $ 7 billion budget. In December 2010 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that the cost of conducting the census has approximately doubled each decade since 1970. In a detailed 2004 report to Congress , the GAO called on the Census Bureau to address cost and design issues, and at that time, had estimated
1380-562: The 2010 census were those who identify as Black and Hispanic. This could lead to the loss of resources for underserved minority communities. The term " Negro " was used in the questionnaire as one of the options for African Americans (Question 9. What is Person (number)'s race? ... Black , African Am., or Negro) as a choice to describe one's race. Census Bureau spokesman Jack Martin explained that "many older African-Americans identified themselves that way, and many still do. Those who identify themselves as Negroes need to be included." The word
1440-823: The GAO analysts bargaining unit; the local voted to name itself IFPTE Local 1921, in honor of the date of the GAO's establishment. On February 14, 2008, the GAO analysts' union approved its first-ever negotiated pay contract with management; of just over 1,200 votes, 98% were in favor of the contract. The GAO also establishes standards for audits of government organizations, programs, activities, and functions, and of government assistance received by contractors, nonprofit organizations, and other nongovernmental organizations. These standards, often referred to as Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), are to be followed by auditors and audit organizations when required by law, regulation, agreement, contract, or policy. These standards pertain to auditors' professional qualifications,
1500-412: The GAO has been referred to as "The Congressional Watchdog" and "The Taxpayers' Best Friend" for its frequent audits and investigative reports that have uncovered waste and inefficiency in government. News media often draw attention to the GAO's work by publishing stories on the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of its reports. Members of Congress also frequently cite the GAO's work in statements to
1560-590: The GAO issues an audit report on the financial statements of the United States Government. The 2010 Financial Report of the United States Government was released on December 21, 2010. The accompanying press release states that the GAO 'cannot render an opinion on the 2010 consolidated financial statements of the federal government , because of widespread material internal control weaknesses, significant uncertainties, and other limitations'. As part of its initiative to advocate sustainability ,
1620-536: The GAO publishes a Federal Fiscal Outlook Report, as well as data relating to the deficit . The U.S. deficit is presented on a cash rather than accruals basis, although the GAO notes that the accrual deficit "provides more information on the longer-term implications of the government's annual operations". In FY 2010, the US federal government had a net operating cost of $ 2,080 billion, although since this includes accounting provisions (estimates of future liabilities),
1680-665: The IRS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. Unsuccessful bidders for government contracts may submit protests if they have reason to challenge an agency's decision, and the GAO may then release a report on the decision, redacted if necessary. Various GAO decisions have confirmed that: In reviewing protests of an agency’s evaluation, [GAO] does not reevaluate proposals, rather, we review
1740-488: The Senate. When a vacancy occurs in the office of the comptroller general, Congress establishes a commission to recommend individuals to the president. The commission consists of the following: The commission must recommend at least three individuals to the president, and the president may request that the commission recommend additional individuals. The president then selects an individual from those recommended to nominate as
1800-466: The address canvassing operation. Enumerators (information gatherers) that had operational problems with the device understandably made negative reports. During the 2009 Senate confirmation hearings for Robert Groves , President Obama's Census Director appointee, there was much mention of contracting problems but very little criticism of the units themselves. The Census Bureau chose to conduct the primary operation, Non-Response Follow Up (NRFU), without using
1860-824: The agency in "taking corrective action in the face of a clearly meritorious protest". The GAO confirmed in 2014 that its jurisdiction includes investigation of protests raising allegations of agency violation of the Procurement Integrity Act . After the closing of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) in 1995, Congress directed the GAO to conduct a technology assessment (TA) pilot program. Between 2002 and 2005, three reports were completed–-use of biometrics for border security, cyber security for critical infrastructure protection , and technologies for protecting structures in wildland fires. The GAO reports and technology assessments, which are made available to
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1920-407: The authority of the comptroller general. It supports congressional oversight by: As a result of its work, GAO produces: The GAO also produces special publications on specific issues of general interest to many Americans, such as its report on the fiscal future of the United States, GAO's role in the federal bid protest process, and critical issues for congressional consideration related to improving
1980-428: The cash deficit is $ 1,294 billion. The most recent GAO strategic plan, for 2018–2023, sets out four goals, namely: The Forensic Audits and Investigative Service (FAIS) team provides Congress with high-quality forensic audits and investigations of fraud, waste, and abuse; other special investigations; and security and vulnerability assessments. Its work cuts across a diverse array of government programs administered by
2040-430: The census. The contract included systems, facilities, and staffing. The final value of that contract was in excess of one billion dollars. Information technology was about a quarter of the projected $ 11.3 billion cost of the decennial census. The use of high-speed document scanning technology, such as ImageTrac scanners developed by IBML , helped Lockheed Martin complete the project on schedule and under budget. Due to
2100-589: The counting of persons who are in the United States illegally. Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) tried unsuccessfully to add questions on immigration status to the census form. Organizations such as the Prison Policy Initiative argued that the census counts of incarcerated men and women as residents of prisons, rather than of their pre-incarceration addresses, skewed political clout and resulted in misleading demographic and population data. Many residents of prisons counted on
2160-400: The detailed information provided for 549 census blocks is "nonsensical", listing examples of census data that show housing units located in the middle of a street that does not actually exist. However, officials do not believe the city's total population will drastically change as a result of the challenge. The state with the highest percentage rate of growth was Nevada , while the state with
2220-466: The enclosed census form today." The 2010 census national mail participation rate was 74%. From April through July 2010, census takers visited households that didn't return a form, an operation called "non-response follow-up" (NRFU). In December 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau delivered population information to the U.S. president for apportionment , and later in March 2011, complete redistricting data
2280-537: The evaluation to determine if it was reasonable, consistent with the solicitation’s evaluation scheme and procurement statutes and regulations, and adequately documented. There is a facility within the Bid Protest Regulations for the GAO to recommend reimbursement of a bidder's protest costs if the procuring agency takes corrective action in response to a protest. The circumstances justifying bid protest cost reimbursement must involve "undue delay" by
2340-416: The handheld computing devices. Due to allegations surrounding previous censuses that poor people and non-whites are routinely undercounted, for the 2010 census, the Census Bureau tried to avoid that bias by enlisting tens of thousands of intermediaries, such as churches, charities and firms, to explain to people the importance of being counted. There was a penalty of $ 100 for not completing some or all of
2400-529: The hope of avoiding an undercount of this group. The 2010 U.S. census was the primary sponsor at NASCAR races in Atlanta, Bristol, and Martinsville, and sponsored the No. 16 Ford Fusion driven by Greg Biffle for part of the season, because of a marketing survey that indicated most NASCAR fans lean politically conservative. It also ran an advertisement during the 2010 Super Bowl , and hired singer Marie Osmond , who
2460-630: The largest population increase was Texas . Michigan , the 8th largest by population, was the only state to lose population (although Puerto Rico , a U.S. territory , lost population as well), and the District of Columbia saw its first gain since the 1950s. The resident populations listed below do not include people living overseas. For Congressional apportionment, the sum of a state's resident population and its population of military personnel and federal contractors living overseas (but not other citizens overseas, such as missionaries or expatriate workers)
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2520-462: The mere enumeration (i.e., count) intended by the framers of the U.S. Constitution. According to political commentator Juan Williams , "Census participation rates have been declining since 1970, and if conservatives don't participate, doubts about its accuracy and credibility may become fatal." As a result, the Census Bureau undertook an unprecedented advertising campaign targeted at encouraging white political conservatives to fill out their forms, in
2580-467: The nation's image abroad. The GAO is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and maintains an additional 11 field offices around the country. Each field office contains several mission teams, but not every mission team is represented at each field office. The GAO is composed of 15 mission teams that work on reports in a given subject area. Missions teams are headed by a Managing Director which fall under
2640-473: The new comptroller general. The president's nomination must be confirmed by the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs before being voted on by the full Senate. The current comptroller general is Gene Dodaro , who has served in the position since March 13, 2008. The work of the GAO is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is mandated by public laws or committee reports. It also undertakes research under
2700-544: The nine-year tenure of the seventh comptroller general, David M. Walker . On September 19, 2007, GAO analysts voted by a margin of two to one (897–445), in a 75% turnout, to establish the first union in the GAO's 86-year history. The analysts voted to affiliate with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), a member union of the AFL–CIO . There are more than 1,800 analysts in
2760-450: The overall response rate. The agency also has begun to rely more on questioning neighbors or other reliable third parties when a person could not be immediately reached at home, which reduced the cost of follow-up visits. Census data for about 22% of U.S. households that did not reply by mail were based on such outside interviews, Groves said. In 2005, Lockheed Martin won a six-year, $ 500 million contract to capture and standardize data for
2820-460: The population on a rotating basis will receive the survey each year, and no household will receive it more than once every five years. In June 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that it would count same-sex married couples . However, the final form did not contain a separate "same-sex married couple" option. When noting the relationship between household members, same-sex couples who are married could mark their spouses as being "Husband or wife",
2880-465: The press, congressional hearings, and floor debates on proposed legislation. In 2007 the Partnership for Public Service ranked the GAO second on its list of the best places to work in the federal government and Washingtonian magazine included the GAO on its 2007 list of great places to work in Washington, a list that encompasses the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The GAO is headed by
2940-457: The public, have become essential vehicles for understanding science and technology (S&T) implications of policies considered by the Congress. Since 2008, Congress has established a permanent TA function within the GAO. This new operational role augments GAO's performance audits related to S&T issues, including effectiveness and efficiency of U.S. federal programs. In 2010, the GAO joined
3000-561: The quality of audit effort, and the characteristics of professional and meaningful audit reports. In 1992, the GAO hosted the XIV INCOSAI , the fourteenth triennial convention of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). The GAO is a United States government electronic data provider, as all of its reports are available on its website, except for certain reports whose distribution
3060-453: The rise in social media and cell-phone usage in the U.S., the Census Bureau used research gathered through a cell-phone study in order to target media and adds to populations that were nonrespondents and promote census participation. This study also helped gauge the mindset of those who fail to respond, trying to figure out why. This was the first census to use hand-held computing devices with GPS capability, although they were only used for
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#17327878667083120-629: The same response given by opposite-sex married couples. An "unmarried partner" option was available for couples (whether same-sex or opposite-sex) who were not married. The Census 2010 Language Program was significantly expanded. Language assistance in 49 languages in the 2000 Census was increased to 59 languages in Census 2000. In addition to English, Census questionnaire was available in five non-English languages: Spanish, Chinese (simplified), Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian. The 2010 census cost $ 13 billion, approximately $ 42 per capita; by comparison,
3180-492: The seat of government or elsewhere, all matters relating to the receipt, disbursement, and application of public funds, and shall make to the President ... and to Congress ... reports [and] recommendations looking to greater economy or efficiency in public expenditures. According to the GAO's current mission statement, the agency exists to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve
3240-401: The ten questions were to be answered for each individual in the household. Federal law has provisions for fining those who refuse to complete the census form. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing held a press conference on March 22, 2011, to announce that the city would challenge its census results. The challenge, being led by the city's planning department, cited an inconsistency as an example showing
3300-499: The two most populous boroughs, are implausible. According to the census, they grew by only 0.1% and 1.6%, respectively, while the other boroughs grew by between 3% and 5%. He also stated that the census showed improbably high numbers of vacant housing in vital neighborhoods such as Jackson Heights, Queens . The District of Columbia announced in August 2011 that it would also challenge its census results. The Mayor's Office claimed that
3360-667: Was $ 500. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was given a contract to help publicize the importance of the census count and to encourage individuals to fill out their forms. In September 2009, after controversial undercover videos showing four ACORN staffers giving tax advice to a man and a woman posing as a prostitute, the bureau canceled ACORN's contract. Various American celebrities, including Demi Lovato and Eva Longoria , were used in public service announcements targeting younger people to fill out census forms. Wilmer Valderrama and Rosario Dawson have helped spread census awareness among young Hispanics,
3420-424: Was also used in the 2000 census, with over 56,000 people identifying themselves as "Negro". In response to complaints over the word's inclusion on the 2010 census, the Census Bureau announced in 2013 that it would stop using "Negro" going forward, with the 2014 American Community Survey census form being the first without the word. Perhaps not a controversy, but yet, another challenge for the Census Bureau in 2010
3480-480: Was delivered to states. Personally identifiable information will be available in 2082. The Census Bureau did not use a long form for the 2010 census. In several previous censuses, one in six households received this long form, which asked for detailed social and economic information. The 2010 census used only a short form asking ten basic questions: The form included space to repeat some or all of these questions for up to twelve residents total. In contrast to
3540-477: Was that almost three million people selected that their race was Black and in combination with another race. This reflects societal changes in the first decade of the 21st century as hospitals had begun recognizing multiple races at the birth of a child. Thus, when parents are reporting their child's race on the census, they selected multiple races. The 2010 census contained ten questions about age, gender, ethnicity, home ownership, and household relationships. Six of
3600-424: Was the 23rd United States census . National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving to spot-check randomly selected neighborhoods and communities. As part of a drive to increase the count's accuracy, 635,000 temporary enumerators were hired. The population of the United States was counted as 308,745,538,
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