Clay Wins Chairmanship

Congressman Lacy Clay’s office proudly announced today that the St. Louisan was unanimously chosen by his Democratic colleagues to chair the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, the Census and the National Archives.

The chairmanship, which is one of five selected by the majority members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has primary oversight responsibility for the 2010 Census, an enormous $12 billion national project that will determine political reapportionment and the distribution of billions of federal dollars.

“This is a historic moment, and I deeply appreciate the confidence and trust that my colleagues have invested in me,” said Clay in a press release.

“The census is one of the most powerful tools that the federal government has to help African-Americans and other minority communities. In 2000, the national census missed at least three million people – mostly the poor and minorities. But as the Chairman of the Census Subcommittee, I will use all the government’s resources to see that this never happens again. Phoenix-like we will rise up and ensure that every American is counted.”

Congressman Clay’s subcommittee will also have oversight responsibilities for the National Archives and Records Administration, which safeguards essential evidence and historical records from U.S. Presidents, the Congress and the federal courts. It also has responsibility for the management of sensitive and classified information through the Office of Information Security Oversight and for monitoring the enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act.