On Tuesday, Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation, the 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act (H.R. 8250), alongside Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Brian Schatz (D-HI). This bill restores the original Census deadline to October 31, 2020 from the September 30, 2020 end date implemented in July. This would allow the U.S. Census Bureau more time to finish data collection and processing, in turn leading to a more thorough and accurate count.
“One of the most important things Alaskans can do to ensure that our state is treated fairly is to fill out the Census,” said Congressman Don Young. “Our constitutionally mandated Census only happens once a decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made this decade’s Census data collection uniquely challenging. Let me be very clear: if Alaska’s field staff are unable to finish a thorough and accurate Census, billions in federal funding will be left on the table over the next decade. We must extend the Census deadline. Alaskans deserve to have their roads, schools, recreation areas, and other public services fully funded; our field staff need more time to complete this critical task. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation alongside Senators Murkowski and Schatz, and Congressman Gallego to ensure that the Census deadline is extended so that all Americans are empowered to succeed.”
“The administration’s plan to end the Census prematurely guarantees an undercount in América’s most vulnerable communities. Unless we act, Hispanic, Indigenous, rural, and other minority and hard-to-count communities will be robbed of political representation and lose out on their fair share of trillions of dollars of federal funding directed by the Census,” said Congressman Ruben Gallego. “Our nation’s Census is enshrined in the Constitution and is a fundamental pillar of our representative democracy. We cannot allow this process to be sabotaged. The Constitution, the courts, and the American people demand that every person, regardless of race, means, immigration status, religion, or location, must be counted. I call on the bipartisan leadership of both Chambers to pass this bill immediately to make that a reality.”
“The administration’s plan to end the Census prematurely guarantees an undercount in América’s most vulnerable communities. Unless we act, Hispanic, Indigenous, rural, and other minority and hard-to-count communities will be robbed of political representation and lose out on their fair share of trillions of dollars of federal funding directed by the Census.”
Congressman Ruben Gallego
In August, Congressman Don Young sent a letter to Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham, urging him to reverse plans to move up the field data collection deadline to September 30 from its original date of October 31. Click here for the letter.
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