13 U.S.C. § 221 — Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers

submitted 72 years ago by ch. 1158 to r/title-13-CENSUS · 185 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

Anyone over 18 who is asked census or survey questions by the Commerce Department and refuses or willfully neglects to answer can be fined up to $100. Willfully giving a false answer instead brings a fine of up to $500. No one has to disclose their religious beliefs or membership in a religious body.

(a) If you're over 18 and the Secretary, or another authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or one of its bureaus or agencies acting on the Secretary's or that officer's instructions, asks you a question from a schedule connected to a census or survey covered by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title — about yourself, your family, or a farm you or your family occupies — and you refuse or willfully neglect to answer to the best of your knowledge, you can be fined up to $100. (b) If you answer such a question but willfully give a false answer, you can be fined up to $500. (c) No matter what else this title says, no one can be forced to disclose information about their religious beliefs or their membership in a religious body.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a)

Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.

(b)

Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.

(c)

Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body.

Source credit: (Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1158, 68 Stat. 1023; Pub. L. 85–207, § 15, Aug. 28, 1957, 71 Stat. 484; Pub. L. 94–521, § 13, Oct. 17, 1976, 90 Stat. 2465.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1954Enacted · Act of Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1158 · 68 Stat. 1023
1957Amended · Pub. L. 85-207 · 71 Stat. 484
1976Amended · Pub. L. 94-521 · 90 Stat. 2465

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by ch. 1158 on 1954-08-31.

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