HR0227 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0227 LRB101 11736 MST 58692 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Once a decade, America comes together to count every resident in the United States, creating national awareness of the importance of the census and its valuable statistics; the decennial census was first taken in 1790, as mandated by the Constitution; it counts our population and households, providing the basis for reapportioning congressional seats, redistricting, and distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to support states, counties, and communities' vital programs - impacting housing, education, transportation, employment, health care, and public policy; and

WHEREAS, The next census is coming in 2020; counting an increasingly diverse and growing population is a massive undertaking; it requires years of planning and the support of thousands of people; and

WHEREAS, Ultimately, the success of the census depends on everyone's participation; the Census Bureau depends on cross-sector collaborations with organizations and individuals to get people to participate; and

WHEREAS, The 2020 Census is important to Illinois; the census affects our State's voice in government, how much funding our communities receive, and how our communities will plan for the future; and

WHEREAS, The census is about fair representation; every ten years, the results of the census are used to reapportion the House of Representatives, determining how many seats each state gets; and

WHEREAS, The census is part of every individual's civic duty; it is a way to participate in our democracy; and

WHEREAS, The census is about redistricting; state officials use the results to redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts, adapting to population shifts; and

WHEREAS, Data collected is confidential; federal law protects census responses, and answers can only be used to produce statistics; information cannot be shared with immigration enforcement agencies, law enforcement agencies, or any agency that determines eligibility for government benefits; and

WHEREAS, In addition, the census benefits each of our communities; federal funds, grants, and support to states, counties, and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race, and other factors; our communities benefit the most when the census counts everyone; and

WHEREAS, Census data is used in all kinds of ways; residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life, and consumer advocacy; businesses use Census Bureau data to decide where to build factories, offices, and stores, and these create jobs; local government officials use the census to ensure public safety and plan new schools and hospitals; real estate developers and city planners use the census to plan new homes and improve neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, There are a variety of reasons people do not participate in the decennial census; they might think it will not have an impact on their life, or they might be afraid of sharing information with the government; they might have trouble completing a census form or feel they do not have the time to commit to completing the form; and

WHEREAS, Every citizen of Illinois can help with the efforts to obtain an accurate census by making sure people know what the census is and how census data are used, and by encouraging everyone to participate; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Census Bureau will host a live operational press briefing to mark the one year out milestone from the 2020 Census; on April 1, 2019, Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham and Census Bureau leadership will brief the public on the status of operations and provide updates on the success of the integrated partnership and communication campaign; the Census Bureau will also be joined on stage by several organizations that highlight a handful of the partnerships that are key to ensuring a successful 2020 Census; and

WHEREAS, Additionally, Census Bureau leaders will be available to discuss national hiring efforts and highlight what partners and other stakeholders can do to ensure complete and accurate counts in communities across the country; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage every citizen in the State to support efforts to insure an accurate census in 2020; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we declare April 1, 2019 as "Census Day in Illinois", the one year mark until the 2020 Census kicks off.