house Resolution No.304
Reps. Tyrone Carter, Tate, Love, Peterson, Garrett, Koleszar, Cynthia Johnson, Chirkun, Stone, Hope and Brixie offered the following resolution:
Whereas, The U.S. census, which is a decennial count
of the population of the U.S., is used to determine the amount of federal funds, grants, and support
apportioned to states, counties, and communities. Accurate census counts ensure that
communities receive a fair share of
the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools,
hospitals, roads, public works, and other vital programs. The data is also used to decide the
boundaries of legislative districts and is essential to maintaining equal
representation; and
Whereas, Under normal circumstances, the census usually requires some level of in-person interaction with Census Bureau employees. Those who do not respond by mail receive a visit from employees in their homes, libraries, community centers, or other gathering places to help boost the response rate; and
Whereas, Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, in-person data collection was halted in March 2020. In April 2020, the Trump Administration asked Congress to extend the deadlines for data collection to compensate for the time lost due to the Pandemic. Under the revised plan for the extended deadlines, the Census Bureau reopened field offices in June and extended the window of data collection to October 31, 2020; and
Whereas, In August 2020, the President abruptly changed his views on the deadline extension and announced that door-knocking and other field activities for data collection would end September 30, 2020 – a month earlier than the original plan; and
Whereas, Critics of this decision, which include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other civil rights groups, argue that this will result in inaccurate reporting of minorities and immigrants. Communities of color, people living in rural areas, high-poverty neighborhoods, immigrant communities, and places where distrust of the government is high are less likely to be counted in the census. In-person visits help to get a more accurate count, which is important for maintaining adequate funding and services for these communities; and
Whereas, Some Michigan communities are particularly vulnerable to being undercounted. According to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, it is estimated that two million children under five were not counted in the 2010 census, resulting in limited resources and programs for children and families. In addition, the Michigan League for Public Policy estimates that the state would lose $1,800 per year in federal funding for each person who goes uncounted in 2020; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we oppose the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to end field data collection by September 30, 2020; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and the President of the United States.