Bill Details
S.265 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-28 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Introduced Date
2025-01-28
Policy Area
Government Operations and Politics
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would make participation in the American Community Survey voluntary instead of required. That means people would not face a penalty if they choose not to answer the survey or skip some questions. It would also require the government to clearly state on the survey itself that taking part is voluntary. The bill is meant to make the rules for this survey easier to understand and to give people the choice not to respond without being punished.
- It changes federal law so that a person cannot be penalized for refusing or forgetting to answer questions on the American Community Survey, or any future version of it.
- It tells the Census Bureau to include a clear notice on the survey saying that participation is voluntary.
- The bill applies to the American Community Survey and any survey that replaces it later on.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 265 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 265
To provide that participation in the American Community Survey is
voluntary.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 28, 2025
Mr. Risch (for himself, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Daines, and
Mr. Crapo) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide that participation in the American Community Survey is
voluntary.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Freedom from Government Surveys
Act''.
SEC. 2. VOLUNTARY NATURE OF AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY.
(a) No Penalty for Failure To Respond.--Section 221 of title 13,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Voluntary Nature of American Community Survey.--Subsection
(a) shall not apply to any person who refuses or neglects to answer any
question on the American Community Survey (or any successor survey).''.
(b) Clarification of Voluntary Nature on Survey.--Section 193 of
title 13, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``In advance'' and inserting the following:
``(a) In General.--In advance''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Clarification of Voluntary Nature of American Community
Survey.--The Secretary shall include on the American Community Survey
(or any successor survey) a statement that participation in the survey
is voluntary.''.
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