NATIONAL BRIEFING / WASHINGTON, D.C.
Senate Democrats blocked a GOP bid to require 2010 census forms to ask people whether they are U.S. citizens.
The proposal by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) was aimed at excluding noncitizens from the population totals used to figure the number of congressional representatives for each state.
Critics said Vitter’s plan would discourage immigrants from responding to the census and would be hugely expensive. They also said that it’s long been settled law that the apportionment of congressional seats is determined by the number of people in each state, regardless of citizenship.
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