Honorable Members of the Senate
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20515
Re: Vitter Amendment #2644 to the Commerce Justice and Science FY10 Appropriations
Dear Members of the Senate,
On behalf of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of over 30 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations, I urge you to oppose the Vitter-Bennett Amendment #2644 to the Commerce Justice and Science FY10 Appropriations.
This amendment is an attack on the U.S. Constitution Census Clause which mandates that every
person living in the United States must be counted every 10 years. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups - citizens and noncitizens alike. The Vitter amendment is a shameful attempt to deter individuals from their right to be counted.
If enacted, the Vitter amendment would stop the 2010 Census in its tracks and prevent the forms from being mailed next spring. This would prevent Congressional reapportionment after 2010 and
redistricting of congressional and state legislative districts. Ultimately, the Vitter amendment would waste $7 billion in research, planning, and preparation that has occurred for Census 2010.
As elected and community leaders we already have the enormous challenge of convincing everyone in the country to participate in the national count, regardless of race, ethnicity or citizenship status. These unconstitutional attempts at census suppression only make our jobs that much more difficult. It is vitally important that we hear repeated and firm statements from Congress encouraging all residents to participate in the Census without fear of any repercussions around their immigration status.
Please oppose the Vitter amendment and send a powerful message that attempts to dissuade
participation in the 2010 Census will not be condoned. Should you have any questions, please feel
Most respectfully,
Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez
Chair
CC:
The Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
The Honorable Richard L. Durbin, U.S. Senate
The Honorable Howard L. Berman, U.S. House of Representatives
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference
