Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt Tuesday said preparations for the 2000 decennial census are on schedule, and that he expects Congress will provide the full $4.5 billion to fund the count.
"The census is on schedule. It is where it needs to be operationally to be in the field in January," Prewitt said.
Prewitt told reporters the bureau has completed its compilation of U.S. residential addresses and has signed nearly all its leases for local census offices-while adding that census contractors will soon begin producing their paid media advertising.
Prewitt said he does not see any movement in Congress to hold up funding over the issue of sampling, but did restate the bureau's need to get at least $71 million on Oct. 1, the first day of fiscal year 2000, or media buys for the paid advertising campaign could be put at risk.
Both the House and Senate have passed respective Commerce-Justice-State spending bills, which include census funding. However, the Senate bill fell $1.7 billion short in census funding, and President Clinton has threatened to veto the House bill because of shortfalls for other programs.
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