Bill Text: NJ ACR121 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Opposes inclusion of citizenship question in 2020 census; urges New Jersey Congressional Delegation to reject any measure directing Census Bureau to include question.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-04-12 - Substituted by SCR55 [ACR121 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-ACR121-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 121
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 1, 2018
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Opposes inclusion of citizenship question in 2020 census; urges New Jersey Congressional Delegation to reject any measure directing Census Bureau to include question.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution opposing the inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2020 federal decennial census survey and urging the New Jersey Congressional Delegation to reject any measure directing the Census Bureau to include that question.
Whereas, The United States Department of Justice has asked the United States Census Bureau to include a question about citizenship status in the 2020 decennial census questionnaire that is sent to all households; and
Whereas, According to experts, including four former Census Bureau directors, a citizenship question in the decennial census would have a detrimental effect on the accuracy of the decennial census count, as privacy concerns and fear of deportation would prevent a significant number of households from completing their census form; and
Whereas, An undercount of the total population in municipalities, counties, states, and the nation as a whole would yield inaccurate data for research purposes and, among other impacts, will affect the equitable allocation of nearly $700 billion per year in federal funds, the number of electoral votes in each state, the reapportionment of legislative districts, and the apportionment of seats in the United States House of Representatives; and
Whereas, The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution requires that members of the House of Representatives "shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state"; and
Whereas, Given the Trump Administration's policies toward deportation, immigration, and naturalization, the inclusion of a citizenship question in the decennial census survey would prevent the achievement of the full count of the population required by the Constitution, as many households would refuse to complete the census form; and
Whereas, We must protect the ability of the Census Bureau to collect an accurate and full census count, and including a citizenship question in the decennial census would be counterproductive to that goal and yield inaccurate data for the next decade; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. This Legislature opposes the inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2020 decennial census survey, and urges each member of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation to reject any measure directing the United States Census Bureau to include that question.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Attorney General of the United States, the Director of the United States Census Bureau, and each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution opposes the inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2020 census survey and urges the New Jersey Congressional Delegation to reject any measure directing the Census Bureau to include such a question.
The United States Department of Justice has asked the Census Bureau to include a question about citizenship status in the 2020 decennial census form. According to experts, including four former Census Bureau directors, a citizenship question in the decennial census would have a detrimental effect on the accuracy of the decennial census count, as privacy concerns and fear of deportation would prevent many households from completing their census form. An undercount of the total population in municipalities, counties, states, and the nation would yield inaccurate data for research purposes and, among other impacts, will affect the equitable allocation of nearly $700 billion per year in federal funds, the number of electoral votes in each state, the reapportionment of legislative districts, and the apportionment of seats in the United States House of Representatives. The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires that members of the House of Representatives "shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state."
Given the Trump Administration's deportation, immigration, and naturalization policies, a citizenship question in the decennial census survey would prevent the achievement of the full count of the population required by the Constitution, as many households would refuse to complete the census form. Including a citizenship question in the decennial census would be counterproductive to the goal of achieving a full count of the population and would yield inaccurate data for the next decade.
