Robert Groves, Director of the Census Bureau to Give Update on Once-in-a-Decade Population Survey at the National Press Club on April 1

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Mar 23, 2010, 04:36 ET

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Robert Groves, Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, will speak at a National Press Club luncheon on April 1, 2010, Census Day, to discuss progress on the decennial head count of Americans.

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As the federal official charged with overseeing the nation's largest peacetime mobilization in history, Groves will soon send out more than 1 million Census workers to complete the constitutionally mandated survey.

Though not a political position, Groves' job is arguably one of the most influential in Washington. Census data is used to apportion seats in Congress, distribute federal funds and draw local and state legislative district lines.

A statistician and sociologist who previously directed the University of Michigan Survey Research Center, Groves was associate director of statistical design for the Census Bureau under the first President Bush. His advocacy in that role for using statistical sampling to adjust for undercounting sparked a political firestorm. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that the method could only be used for apportioning federal dollars and not representation in Congress.

The National Press Club luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m., and Groves' remarks will begin just after 1:00 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Advance reservations should be made by contacting reservations at the National Press Club, (202) 662-7501 or [email protected]. Cost of luncheon admission is $17 for National Press Club members, $28 for their guests and $35 for general admission.

Credentialed press may cover this event with proper ID.

The National Press Club is located at 14th and F Streets, NW, one block west of Metro Center. For more information about the Club and its programs go to press.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. Founded in 1908, the Club has 3,500 members representing most major news organizations. Each year, the Club holds more than 2,000 events including news conferences, luncheons and panels, and more than 250,000 guests come through its doors.

SOURCE National Press Club