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JOINT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE MAINE COMPLETE COUNT COMMITTEE AND COORDINATION OF EFFORTS TO REDUCE THE UNDERCOUNT OF MAINE RESIDENTS IN THE 2020 FEDERAL DECENNIAL CENSUS
WHEREAS, Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution requires an enumeration of the population every 10 years to apportion congressional representation among the states; and
WHEREAS,  pursuant to 13 United States Code, Section 141, the next Federal Decennial Census of the population will be taken beginning April 1, 2020 and concluding on July 31, 2020; and
WHEREAS,  data derived from the census determines how approximately $800 billion in federal spending to support education, transportation, publicly funded health care, law enforcement and other important public services is allocated among the states; and
WHEREAS,  a complete and accurate count of Maine's population is essential because the census count determines congressional representation and state redistricting and also determines federal formula grant allocations for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Title IV-E foster care, Title IV-E adoption assistance and the Child Care and Development Fund for an entire decade until the next Federal Decennial Census is taken; and
WHEREAS,  Maine's fiscal loss in programs guided by Federal Medical Assistance Percentages was $16,420 per person missed in the 2010 census over the 10-year census cycle; and
WHEREAS,  the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census acknowledges the long-standing undercount of young children in the Federal Decennial Census and has spent years researching children who were missed in the 2010 census and creating resources in an attempt to reduce this undercount in the 2020 census; and
WHEREAS,  it is vitally important to ensure that every Maine resident is counted in the 2020 census and that Maine gets its fair share of federal funds; and
WHEREAS,  the Governor has, by Executive Order 12 FY 19/20, created the Maine Complete Count Committee, which, using the knowledge and expertise of Maine's administrative agencies, will develop and coordinate a census outreach program to increase awareness about the 2020 census and motivate residents in the community to respond; and
WHEREAS,  such complete count committees have also been established by Maine's tribal and local governments and community organizations, faith-based groups, schools, libraries, businesses, the media and others, which will play a key role in educating and motivating residents to participate in the 2020 census; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Legislature now assembled in the Second Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, take this opportunity to support the Maine Complete Count Committee and Maine's tribal, county and municipal governments in the work to develop, recommend and assist in the administration of a census outreach strategy to encourage full participation in the 2020 Federal Decennial Census; and be it further
RESOLVED: That We also support the development of additional outreach programs and partnerships with nonprofit and community organizations, faith-based groups, schools, libraries, businesses, the media and others to encourage full participation in the 2020 Federal Decennial Census, including a multilingual, multimedia campaign designed to ensure an accurate and complete count of Maine's population.