Enrolled HJR 19: Urging the United States Congress to fully fund the United States Census Bureau for the 2020 Census; urging the governor to prioritize an accurate count for the 2020 Census; and urging local governments to establish local complete count commissions.
00Enrolled HJR 19 01 Urging the United States Congress to fully fund the United States Census Bureau for the 2020 02 Census; urging the governor to prioritize an accurate count for the 2020 Census; and urging 03 local governments to establish local complete count commissions. 04 _______________ 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 WHEREAS the United States Census Bureau is required by the United States 07 Constitution to conduct a count of the population every 10 years to help shape the foundation 08 of our society and play an active role in American democracy; and 09 WHEREAS the demographics of the United States continue to grow and shift and 10 include individuals who identify as multiracial; and 11 WHEREAS, every year, billions of dollars of federal and state funds are allocated to 12 communities, and decisions on matters of national and local importance, including healthcare, 13 community development, business location and operations, housing, education, transportation, 14 social services, and employment, are made based on census data; and 15 WHEREAS distribution of federal funding for American Indian and Alaska Native 16 schools, education programs, health programs, housing programs, water and sewage projects,
01 roads, and economic development is based on data collected by the United States Census 02 Bureau; and 03 WHEREAS the decennial census is a significant undertaking that requires cross- 04 sector collaboration and partnership to achieve a complete, fair, and accurate count; and 05 WHEREAS the United States Census Bureau is facing several challenges with the 06 Census, including declining response rates, technological changes, and fiscal 07 constraints; and 08 WHEREAS census data is used in the consideration of redistricting for the Alaska 09 State Legislature and affects municipal assemblies and councils; and 10 WHEREAS the Alaska State Legislature is committed to ensuring that every state 11 resident is counted in the 2020 Census; 12 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 13 Congress to fully fund the United States Census Bureau for the 2020 Census, and, if Congress 14 determines it to be advantageous, to allow rural residents of the state without a physical 15 address to use a post office box to participate in the 2020 Census, thereby equipping the 16 United States Census Bureau to fulfill its constitutional obligation to fully enumerate all 17 persons within the United States; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature desires to work with the 19 state's executive branch to allocate funding necessary to conduct outreach within the state and 20 to provide support to supplement the outreach and promotional activities of the United States 21 Census Bureau as well as the work of groups in the state, including the Alaska Census 22 Working Group and other regional stakeholders, in targeting populations that are hard to 23 count; and be it 24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature requests that the governor 25 urge the 2020 Census Alaska Complete Count Commission to hold active and regular 26 meetings to adequately prepare for the decennial census, to prioritize an accurate census count 27 in all areas of the state before considerations of data use to promote census participation, to 28 leverage existing community stakeholder knowledge to conduct outreach in rural 29 communities, and to create and translate educational materials to supplement the 30 communications campaign of the United States Census Bureau; and be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages every
01 municipality in the state to establish its own complete count commission to foster maximum 02 participation by all state residents. 03 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Michael J. Dunleavy, 04 Governor of Alaska; Tim Navarre, President, Alaska Municipal League; and the Honorable 05 Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 06 Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.