Bills · HR 5156
IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS
House BillHR 5156Immigration
COUNT Act
INTRO SEP 4· LAST ACTION SEP 4
READING
4MIN
COSPONSORS
8
READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL
NO VOTES YET · BE THE FIRST
- Introduced only
LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS
STEP 2 / 8Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed House
Passed Senate
Conference
To President
Became Law
WHAT THE BILL DOES
AI-writtenThis bill matters because it would fundamentally change how the U.S. government gathers population data, especially regarding citizenship. If passed, it would lead to a comprehensive federal effort to establish the citizenship status of every person in the U.S., potentially impacting how congressional districts are drawn, how federal funding is distributed for programs like Medicaid, and how immigration policies are shaped. Including a citizenship question on the census could influence participation rates and potentially alter the demographic data used for planning public services.
Stopping the use of "differential privacy" at the Census Bureau could change how individual data is protected, potentially making individual responses more vulnerable while providing more precise demographic counts. Voters should care because the way population data is collected and protected directly affects representation, resource allocation, and privacy, all of which have real-world consequences for communities and individuals across the country.
KEY PROVISIONS
5AI-extractedPROVISION 01
Directs federal agencies to provide maximum assistance and access to administrative records to the Department of Commerce to determine citizenship status.
This creates a unified government effort to identify citizens and non-citizens, impacting data collection for various purposes.
PROVISION 02
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to include a citizenship question on the 2030 decennial census and in other surveys like the American Community Survey.
This would change the scope of the national census and other surveys, directly asking about citizenship status.
PROVISION 03
Establishes an interagency working group led by the Census Bureau Director to use administrative records to establish citizenship status for 100% of the population.
This sets a goal for universal citizenship data collection using existing government records.
PROVISION 04
Terminates the Census Bureau's use of "differential privacy" for data protection after 6 months and requires new privacy guidance.
This alters the technical method the Census Bureau uses to protect individual privacy in its published data.
PROVISION 05
Requires the Department of Commerce to strengthen efforts to gain access to relevant State administrative records and report non-compliant states.
This extends the data collection efforts beyond federal agencies to include state-level information.
SPONSORSHIP
1 + 8
R· Texas
YRS IN OFFICE
5
BILLS LED
61
COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 0%
DEM 0 REP 8 IND 0
ACTION TIMELINE
2 EVENTSSEP 4
Introduced in House
SEP 4
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
BILL INFO
TypeHouse Bill
NumberHR 5156
Congress119th
StatusIn Committee
IntroducedSep 4, 2025
Last actionSep 4, 2025
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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED SEP 4, 2025
House BillHR 5156Immigration
COUNT Act
INTRODUCED SEP 4, 2025· LAST ACTION SEP 4, 2025
PASSAGE CHANCES
—%
READING
4 min
COSPONSORS
8
COMPLEXITY
Moderate
