Senator Baldwin Cosponsors Bill Ensuring Accurate Census Count

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) cosponsored the Fair and Accurate Census Act, legislation that would extend statutory deadlines for delivering census data and implement important transparency and accountability requirements to help ensure a complete count in the 2020 Census.

“The 2020 Census results will shape the future of our communities by determining how federal funds are distributed. A Census that accurately reflects our population and needs is fundamental to our democracy and the well-being of communities across Wisconsin,” said Senator Baldwin. "The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted efforts to collect a fair and accurate 2020 Census, and the Trump administration is undermining the Census which could lead to reduced federal funding for underserved communities. Our legislation will extend important deadlines and provide folks on the ground the resources they need to ensure the Census reaches every household and neighborhood throughout the nation.”

The Fair and Accurate Census Act:

• Extends statutory deadline for submitting apportionment data, the data used to determine how many Representatives each state is allotted, from December 31, 2020 to April 30, 2021.
• Extends statutory deadline for transmitting redistricting data to states and localities from March 31, 2021 to July 31, 2021.
• Requires the Census Bureau to transmit monthly reports to relevant Congressional committees on decennial census operations.
• Provides an exemption to institutions of higher education from Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 privacy protections for the purpose of enumerating students during the 2020 Census.
• Prohibits the Census Bureau from compiling, producing, or publishing any data products in connection with the 2020 decennial census of population that include topics that were not part of the 2018 End-to-End Census Test.
• Appropriates $400 M to Census Bureau for the 2020 Census provided the amounts be used to address the impacts of the coronavirus on the 2020 Census and to support enhances 2020 Census activities.

The Fair and Accurate Census Act is endorsed by Common Cause, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NALEO Educational Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), PFLAG, the National Disability Rights Network, and the ACLU. 

The legislation is led by Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI). The full bill text is available here. More information about the legislation is available here.

Senator Baldwin and her colleagues, led by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), recently called on Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to reverse the Trump administration’s effort to end the Census count a month early. The Senators say cutting the count short by a month will be devastating to the accuracy of the 2020 Census and disproportionately impact hard-to-count communities.