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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution urges Congress to assure a complete and accurate 2020
11 Census.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ acknowledges Utah's reliance upon census data for political, business, and social
15 welfare purposes;
16 ▸ expresses concern that Congress has underfunded the 2020 Census;
17 ▸ expresses concern that rural residents and marginalized communities are at risk of
18 being undercounted by the 2020 Census; and
19 ▸ urges Congress to adequately fund the 2020 Census to ensure a complete and
20 accurate count.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
25 WHEREAS, the United States Constitution requires a non-biased, non-political count
26 every 10 years of where and how the country's population has grown;
27 WHEREAS, the 10-year census not only counts population, but also:
28 • establishes representation decisions for federal, state, and local governments;
29 • is the basis upon which federal funding is allocated for programs such as Medicare,
30 Medicaid, and the National School Lunch Program; and
31 • guides business decisions regarding labor pools and investment choices;
32 WHEREAS, Congress has underfunded the U.S. Commerce Department's budget to
33 conduct the 2020 Census, causing the Census Bureau to cancel certain preparations that would
34 test the Census Bureau's new digital tools;
35 WHEREAS, the Census Bureau plans for 80% of the country to receive
36 communications that urge a response to the census via the Internet;
37 WHEREAS, the Census Bureau's reliance on the Internet is worrisome because 21% of
38 rural households do not currently have Internet access at home, putting rural residents at risk of
39 being undercounted;
40 WHEREAS, ethnic and immigrant communities are also at risk of being undercounted;
41 WHEREAS, a geographic area is considered hard-to-count (HTC) if the area's
42 self-response rate in the 2010 decennial census was 73% or less;
43 WHEREAS, according to the Census 2020 HTC map application developed by the City
44 University of New York Mapping Service, a number of rural Utah counties are hard-to-count
45 and face a high likelihood of being undercounted;
46 WHEREAS, according to the George Washington University Institute for Public Policy,
47 in fiscal year 2015, Utah received $3,253,452,654, or approximately $1,086 per capita, for 16
48 major federal assistance programs that distribute funds based on decennial census-derived
49 statistics; and
50 WHEREAS, because census data are used in political, business, and social welfare
51 contexts, the accuracy of the count is critical:
52 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
53 Governor concurring therein, calls upon Congress to adequately fund the 2020 Census to assure
54 a complete and accurate count of all people.
55 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge the
56 members of Utah's congressional delegation to support H.R. 4013, 2020 American Census
57 Investment Act.
58 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be delivered to Utah's
59 congressional delegation.