Our Subcommittee on Census and Population has conducted lengthy and thorough hearings on both issues, in various parts of the country. We are here in Ypsilanti today to continue these hearings. We seek all the information available, and invited a distinguished and extremely knowledgeable list of witnesses representing the Census Bureau, and the best we could find on each side of the issue. What we seek is the most complete, and the fairest census count possible; and I am confident that what we hear today will be of tremendous assistance to this end. Our first witness is Dr. John Keane, Director of the Bureau of Census. [NOTE.-At this point in the committee proceedings, Chairman Ford recognized and welcomed the various witnesses. The witnesses then presented their oral testimony which was followed up by extensive questioning and information-gathering colloquy between the committee and the individual participants. Regrettably, subsequent to the hearing, the stenographic reporter lost the transcription tapes of this field hearing. Therefore, the record will not contain the information that was obtained from the discussion session. The prepared statements of the witnesses are included in the hearing at this point in order to record as much as possible of what transpired.] Communications from the Heritage Reporting Corporation; the Official Reporters to House Committees; Donnald K. Anderson, Clerk of the House; and Hon. William D. Ford, Committee Chairman, regarding the loss of the transcription tapes, also follow. HERITAGE REPORTING CORPORATION Official Reporters 1220 L Street, N. W., Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20005 (202) 628-4888 July 13, 1988 The Hon. William D. Ford, Chairman Dear Mr. Chairman: As you are undoubtedly aware, the notes and tapes from the committee hearing held in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on June 24, 1988 are missing. The reporter for this hearing checked an accordian folder containing the notes and tapes from this hearing at the desk of the Hyatt Hotel in Flint, Michigan, when she went to lunch. After lunch, due to the press of time, she took a cab to the airport to catch her flight back to Chicago and telephoned the hotel to ask that her file be sent to her in Chicago. Upon receiving the package from the hotel, she found they sent her a similar folder that belonged to an attorney who attended a hearing she had reported on June 25th at the Hyatt Hotel in Flint. Since that time we have been attempting to locate the folder. Much of the material in the folder identifies Heritage Reporting with our name and telephone number and the tapes are labeled with the legend, "If found call (202) 628-4888," our telephone number. I want to assure you that every possible effort is being made to locate this material and that we will leave no stone unturned in our attempt to get these notes and tapes back. We have been reporters for the House of Representatives for many years, and this is the first time anything like this has occurred. As a matter of fact, during the past year and a half we reported 600 hearings, yielding more than 70,000 pages for various committees and subcommittees of the House of Representatives, both in Washington, DC, and throughout the United States, without incident. July 13, 1988, The Hon. William D. Ford Page 2 The court reporter who lost this work has been dismissed. We have issued a memorandum to all our reporters, reemphasizing the manner in which the notes and tapes from hearings should be cared for. I want to apologize for problems this has caused the committee and again assure you that every effort humanly possible is being made to locate the missing material. Sincerely, Teri A. Benson Teri A. Benson TAB:ms Copy to: Raymond Boyum, Director, It is with deep regret that I inform you that the tapes generated by the court reporter who covered your June 24, 1988 field hearing in Ypsilanti, Michigan have been lost, and it will not be possible to produce a transcript of the hearing. Our office contracted with Heritage Reporting Corporation I am very conscious of the time, effort, and expense that goes into conducting a field hearing and the importance of safeguarding all materials relating to the record, and I am very sorry this has happened. We are evaluating our policy of using Heritage Reporting to cover field hearings held by committees of the U.S. House of Representatives. I can assure you that they will not cover any hearings for your committee in the future. Please accept my deepest and most sincere apologies for this occurrence. If there is anything I can do to assist you or your committee, now or at any time, please contact me. |