Bureau of the Census May 23, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In preparation for the 2010 Census, the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) has drafted an American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) policy statement and is requesting public comment on it. This proposed policy outlines the principles to be followed in all Census Bureau interactions with federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments. The policy reaffirms the unique government- to-government relationship that exists between American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and the Census Bureau and is consistent with the AIAN policy statement adopted by the Department of Commerce (DOC) on March 30, 1995. The Census Bureau believes that the adoption of the proposed AIAN policy would satisfy a long-standing request from AIAN populations and would encourage and facilitate greater cooperation from these populations during decennial censuses and help us to better communicate with and enumerate these difficult- to-count populations.