WASHINGTON — Louisiana Sen. David Vitter is taking a “political shot in the dark” with a proposal to discount illegal immigrants from the upcoming 2010 census, Rep. William “Lacy” Clay, D-St. Louis, said Tuesday.

“We’re going to stop playing games with a constitutional requirement of the federal government,” Clay said.

Clay

Clay, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Archives, urged the Senate on Tuesday to end Vitter’s proposed appropriations bill amendment, which would require a new question about a person’s citizenship on census forms. Critics argue the addition is discriminatory, would delay the Census’ start and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Vitter, a Republican, represents a state that could lose a congressional seat and significant federal funding if 2010 census figures show Louisiana’s population gains not keeping pace with other states.

“I view Sen. Vitter’s amendment as a political ploy because he knows that because of Hurricane Katrina and Rita, Louisiana has lost population and not been able, for whatever reason, to get people back,” Clay said in an interview.

Vitter’s amendment has stalled an appropriations bill that funds the Census Bureau and other agencies. Democrats tried to push the bill through late last week without the amendment by calling a cloture vote, but only got 56 votes of the necessary 60 votes. All “yes” votes were cast by Democrats, except for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who voted against cloture so he could call a re-vote later.

The four votes needed to drop the amendment could come from Reid and the three Democrats not present for the first cloture vote, suggesting that Vitter faces an uphill battle against the filibuster-proof Senate majority.

Clay said he hasn’t spoken with Census Bureau officials since Vitter proposed the amendment. The census count day is scheduled for April 1, 2010.

“We don’t have to talk about this,” he said. “They know their job is to count every person.”