Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold recently appointed Cecelia Espenoza to the Census Outreach Grant Program Committee.
HB19-1239, passed this legislative session, creates the 2020 Census Outreach Grant Program to provide grants to local governments, intergovernmental agencies, councils of government, housing authorities, school districts, and nonprofit organizations to support the accurate counting of Colorado’s population during the 2020 census. The grant program committee, as outlined in the legislation, will work in conjunction with the Department of Local Affairs to implement and administer the grant program and develop policies and procedures necessary for such implementation and administration.
“As a respected community leader, Cecelia Espenoza will be an important representative on the Census Outreach Grant Program Committee. A fair and accurate count in 2020 will ensure critical federal resources for our state and is necessary for Coloradans to have fair representation both locally and in Washington, D.C.,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
HB19-1239 authorizes the Colorado Secretary of State to make one appointment to this important committee. The other four members are appointed by legislative leadership from both majority and minority parties.
Espenoza will bring expertise and dedication to the Census Outreach Grant Program Committee. She retired from the United States Department of Justice after serving as a Senior Associate General Counsel and as the only Mexican American to serve as an Appellate Immigration Judge. In addition, she has served on numerous local, state and national boards and as a professor of law.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on this committee. A fair and equitable count is essential to our state and required by the Constitution,” said Espenoza.
The committee is responsible for awarding $6 million of grant funding before November 1 of this year.
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