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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice has
3requested that the U.S. Census Bureau reinstate a question on
4citizenship to the 2020 census, claiming that the data is
5critical to the Department's enforcement of Section 2 of the
6Voting Rights Act and the important protections it provides
7against racial discrimination in voting; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Department of Justice stated that it needs a
9reliable calculation of the citizen voting age population in
10localities where voting rights are alleged or suspected; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Experts agree that since the same question is
12included in the American Community Survey it is adequate to
13fulfill the Department of Justice's stated purpose of enforcing
14the Voting Rights Act; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Reinstating this question could lead to
16comprehensive inaccuracies, including how congressional
17districts are drawn and how government funds are distributed;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, U.S. senators have asked the current presidential
20administration to reject the request since it could depress or
21hinder census turnout due to fear that the government could use

 

 

HR0837- 2 -LRB100 17492 MST 32661 r

1the information against the participants and since the question
2has not been asked since 1950; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Reinstating this question may have the unintended
4effect of increasing the Census Bureau's costs and budget to
5conduct the census, as the Bureau must send out enumerators to
6interview the occupants of any address that did not respond;
7therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
10strongly urge the U.S. Census Bureau to not reinstate the
11citizenship question to the 2020 census; and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13delivered to U.S. Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin.