Res. No. 284
Title
Resolution calling upon the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, S.2580, the "Every Person Counts Act," to ensure that no question about citizenship appears on the 2020 decennial census.
Body
By Council Members Powers, Chin, the Speaker (Council Member Johnson), Ayala, Levine, Cornegy, Cabrera, Rivera, Miller and Brannan
Whereas, The United States ("US") Constitution mandates that the federal government conduct a decennial census for tax and representation purposes; and
Whereas, US census data is widely used by government agencies, research institutions and community groups for appropriating billions of dollars in federal aid and services; and
Whereas, The US Census Bureau acknowledges that both overcounts and undercounts occur in the census process; and
Whereas, New York City's densely populated urban context resulted in the lowest response rates for the 2000 and 2010 census, nearly 10 percentage points below the national average; and
Whereas, In spite of US Census Bureau precautions in 2010, canvassing failed to identify many New York City addresses due, in part, to an inability to access apartment building residence, illegal sublets, and residents' general mistrust of federal employees; and
Whereas, New York City is home to many "hard to count" populations, including 3.1 million immigrants, comprising 38% of its population and 45% of its workforce; and
Whereas, On December 12, 2017, the Department of Justice sent a letter to the US Census Bureau, requesting that a question on citizenship status be added to the 2020 census form; and
Whereas, The entire US population has not been required to complete a citizenship question on the decennial census form since 1950; and
Whereas, On March 20, 2018, US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the "Every Person Counts Act" (S.2580) which would require that the decennial census tabulate the total number of persons in each state a...
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