{"id":1115,"date":"2019-12-06T17:25:11","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T22:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regionslead.org\/?p=1115"},"modified":"2020-07-08T16:10:25","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T16:10:25","slug":"four-ways-regions-can-help-prepare-for-the-upcoming-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/narc.org\/2019\/12\/06\/four-ways-regions-can-help-prepare-for-the-upcoming-census\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Ways Regions Can Help Prepare for the Upcoming Census"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Now that\n2020 is nearly upon us, the U.S. Census Bureau has entered a critical stage of\nplanning for the decennial census. The agency has been busy trying to hire nearly half a million temporary\nworkers<\/a> to help\ncarry out the national headcount. A national 2020 census advertising campaign\nis expected to kick off in January. And census materials are continuing to be\nprepared and finalized to send via mail or hand-delivery to American\nhouseholds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you\nhelp the Census Bureau prepare your region for the upcoming 2020 census? Please\nsee the action items below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urge\nCongress to Provide Direct, Full-Year Funding for the 2020 Census<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress is\nstill working to finalize and pass the fiscal year (FY) 2020 federal appropriations\nbills. They are currently operating under the second continuing resolution<\/a> (CR) of this new fiscal year, which provides\nfunding to federal agencies through December 20, 2019. This most recent CR\nprovided the Census Bureau a temporary spending rate of at least $6.7 billion\nfor 2020 census as well as at least $90 million to implement a mobile Question\nAssistance Center program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although\nthis was a much-appreciated addition to the CR, the Census Bureau needs the\ncertainty of full-year FY 2020 appropriations now. Operating without funding\ncertainty could force the agency to curtail or delay critical aspects of their\nfinal preparations, jeopardizing the ability of the federal government to be\nable to complete an accurate count. This could negatively impact the geographic distribution of $1.5\ntrillion in federal funding annually<\/a> and long-term regional planning decisions for years to come.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NARC and its\ncensus advocacy partners urge you to call your members of Congress, especially\nif they serve on congressional appropriations committees or in House or Senate\nleadership positions, and ask them to fully fund 2020 census activities for the\nentire fiscal year in the third CR or in a final FY 2020\nCommerce\/Justice\/Science appropriations measure \u2014 whichever comes first.\nTalking points developed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights\ncan be found here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inform\nand Prepare Local Elected Officials Regarding the Implementation of the Executive\nOrder on Citizenship Data<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Donald\nTrump issued an executive order<\/a> in July 2019 directing the Census\nBureau to compile federal and, where possible, state administrative records to\nproduce data on citizens and noncitizens. In October, the Census Bureau issued a statement <\/a>asking states to voluntarily share\ndriver\u2019s license records as a part of these efforts. Some states, such as Maine\nand Illinois, have already indicated that they will not comply with the request\nto participate in this data sharing agreement with the Census Bureau. Several\norganizations have filed a legal challenge<\/a> stating the action is\nunconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether\ntheir state has indicated they will participate in this voluntary data sharing\nagreement, local officials should remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n