COPAFS Corner
COPAFS Focuses on Statistical Activities
Stephanie Shipp, ASA Representative to COPAFS for 2008–2009, and
Stephen Cohen, ASA Representative to COPAFS for 2009–2010
COPAFS is the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics
and comprised of the membership of 60 organizations, including profes-
sional organizations, businesses, research institutes, and others interested in
federal statistics. As a member of COPAFS, the ASA has two representatives
from the Government Statistics Section who attend the quarterly COPAFS
meetings and report back to the ASA membership. Highlights of the June
5, 2009, meeting held at the Bureau of Labor Statistics follow.
C
OPAFS Executive Director Ed Spar report-
Changes in American Community
ed that the confirmation of Bob Groves as
Survey Products
the U.S. Census Bureau’s director is on
David Johnson of the U.S. Census Bureau noted he
hold. He also expressed caution, but noted that the
is not with the American Community Survey (ACS)
2010 budget numbers look good. If the Bureau of
office and that his giving an ACS presentation is
Economic Analysis (BEA) gets the amount of
evidence of how wide ACS involvement is at the
money requested, it will reinstitute county employ-
bureau. He explained that changes in ACS prod-
ment data and backfill to years for which data were
ucts are in response to recommendations and feed-
not provided. If the National Center for Health
back from the Office of Management and Budget
Statistics (NCHS) gets its requested amount, it will
(OMB), U.S. Census Bureau, and inter-agency
be able to return the Health Interview Survey to
council, as well as input from data users. The goal
full sample.
is to incorporate changes while minimizing disrup-
spar also reported that the Committee on
tions to data consistency.
National Statistics (CNSTAT) recently released a
Scott Boggess, also from the U.S. Census
report on the National Crime Victimization Survey,
Bureau, said many of the ACS product changes
noting there seems to be congressional support
were necessitated by changes to the questionnaire
for added funding, and that the Bureau of Justice
and the additional questions on new topics such
Statistics (BJS) is working on creative ways to
as marital history, health insurance coverage, and
improve the system.
service-connected disability. More than half of the
Spar had no observations about the census
changes relate to changes in the general disability
budget, but commented that the Longitudinal
questions, and none of the disability tables will be
Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) pro-
comparable to previous years, including the most
gram may be the most interesting thing going on
basic count of persons with a disability. Many disabil-
at the U.S. Census Bureau. LEHD not only tracks
ity tables are being replaced by new tables that will
employment at the local level, but produces synthetic
look like the originals, but provide fundamentally
data—an approach that many surveys may adopt in
different measures such as percents calculated with
response to disclosure concerns. A presentation on
different denominators.
LEHD is scheduled for the next COPAFS meeting.
U.S. Census Bureau staff members are just now
The remaining 2009 COPAFS meetings will be
getting a look at data collected from the new ques-
on September 11 and December 4.
tions and will release relatively few tables until they
AUGUST 2009 AmstAt News 15
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