News Release

Office of U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-07)

Yesterday, Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and Congressman Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation, the 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act (H.R. 8250), alongside Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Brian Schatz (D-HI). This bill restores the original Census deadline to October 31, 2020 from the September 30, 2020 end date implemented in July. This would allow the U.S. Census Bureau more time to finish data collection and processing, in turn leading to a more thorough and accurate count.

"One of the most important things Alaskans can do to ensure that our state is treated fairly is to fill out the Census," said Congressman Don Young. "Our constitutionally mandated Census only happens once a decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made this decade's Census data collection uniquely challenging. Let me be very clear: if Alaska's field staff are unable to finish a thorough and accurate Census, billions in federal funding will be left on the table over the next decade. We must extend the Census deadline. Alaskans deserve to have their roads, schools, recreation areas, and other public services fully funded; our field staff need more time to complete this critical task. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation alongside Senators Murkowski and Schatz, and Congressman Gallego to ensure that the Census deadline is extended so that all Americans are empowered to succeed.”

“The administration’s plan to end the Census prematurely guarantees an undercount in America’s most vulnerable communities. Unless we act, Hispanic, Indigenous, rural, and other minority and hard-to-count communities will be robbed of political representation and lose out on their fair share of trillions of dollars of federal funding directed by the Census,” said Congressman Ruben Gallego. “Our nation’s Census is enshrined in the Constitution and is a fundamental pillar of our representative democracy. We cannot allow this process to be sabotaged. The Constitution, the courts, and the American people demand that every person, regardless of race, means, immigration status, religion, or location, must be counted. I call on the bipartisan leadership of both Chambers to pass this bill immediately to make that a reality.”

In August, Congressman Don Young sent a letter to Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham, urging him to reverse plans to move up the field data collection deadline to September 30 from its original date of October 31. Click here for the letter.

Organizations supporting this legislation:

National

AARP

AASA, The School Superintendents Association

AFL-CIO

The AIDS Institute

All On The Line

American Anthropological Association

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

American Library Association

American Statistical Association

Arab American Institute

The Arc

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

Association of Educational Service Agencies

Center for American Progress

Center for Disability Rights

Center on Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)

Coalition of Labor Union Women

Coalition on Human Needs

Common Cause

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA)

Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS)

Data Coalition

Empowering Pacific Islander Community (EPIC)

Feeding America

First Focus Campaign for Children

Forum For Youth Investment

Generations United

Girls Inc.

Government Information Watch

Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association

Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)

Hispanic Federation

Hmong American Census Network

Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Insights Association

Interfaith Alliance

Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)

Jewish Women International

Justice for Migrant Women

Justice in Aging

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics)

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

NALEO Educational Fund

NAACP

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)

NAPAFASA

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA)

National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE)

National Association for Business Economics (NABE)

National Association of Counties (NACo)

National Association of Jewish Legislators

National Association of Regional Councils

National Black Justice Coalition

National CAPACD

National Center for Learning Disabilities

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

National Coalition for Literacy

National Community Action Partnership

National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)

National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)

National Council of Nonprofits

National Council on Aging

National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)

National Education Association (NEA)

National Equality Action Team (NEAT)

National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA)

National Health Law Program

National Housing & Rehabilitation Association

National League of Cities (NLC)

National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

National NeighborWorks Association

National Organization of Black County Officials, Inc. (NOBCO)

National Partnership for Women & Families

National Rural Education Association

Native Voice Network

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

Nielsen

Nonprofit Network

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates

Open the Government

Partnership for America’s Children

People For the American Way

PFLAG National

PolicyLink

Prison Policy Initiative

PRLDEF

Population Association of America

Project On Government Oversight (POGO)

Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Union for Reform Judaism

United Way Worldwide

Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)

U.S. Conference of Mayors

Voices for Racial Justice

YWCA USA

ZERO TO THREE

State

Advocates for Children of New Jersey (New Jersey)

Agenda for Children (Louisiana)

Alaska Census Working Group – Alaska Counts Campaign (Alaska)

Aloha United Way (Hawaii)

Asian American Federation (New York)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta (Georgia)

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (California)

Asian Law Alliance (California)

Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (California)

Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii (Hawaii)

Center for Non-Profits (New Jersey)

Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano (New York)

Children’s Defense Fund – Minnesota (Minnesota)

Children’s Defense Fund – Ohio (Ohio)

Children’s Trust of South Carolina (South Carolina)

Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) (New York)

City of Montgomery, Alabama (Alabama)

Colorado Nonprofit Association (Colorado)

Common Cause MN (Minnesota)

Community Action Partnership of North Dakota (North Dakota)

Community Action Partnership of Utah (Utah)

Community Foundation for Mason County (Michigan)

Community Foundation for Muskegon County (Michigan)

Cook Inlet Housing Authority (Alaska)

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (Hawaii)

Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) (Michigan)

CT Association for Community Action (CAFCA) (Connecticut)

The Foraker Group (Alaska)

Forefront (Illinois)

Fremont Area Community Foundation (Michigan)

Hawai‘i Community Foundation (Hawaii)

The Henry Ford (Michigan)

Housing Action Illinois (Illinois)

Idaho Nonprofit Center (Idaho)

International Community Health Services (Washington)

Isuroon (Minnesota)

Kentucky Youth Advocates (Kentucky)

Kentucky Nonprofit Network (Kentucky)

Kids Forward (Wisconsin)

Lake County Community Foundation (Michigan)

Los Angeles LGBT Center (California)

MACS 2020 – Minnesotans for the ACS and 2020 Census (Minnesota)

Main Street Project (Minnesota)

Maryland Nonprofits (Maryland)

Massachusetts Association for Community Action (Massachusetts)

Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. (Hawaii)

Maui Non Profit Directors Association (Hawaii)

Mecosta County Community Foundation (Michigan)

Michigan Association of United Ways (Michigan)

Michigan Nonprofit Association (Michigan)

Midland Area Community Foundation (Michigan)

Minnesota Census Mobilization Partnership (Minnesota)

Minnesota Community Action Partnership (Minnesota)

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (Minnesota)

Minnesota Council on Foundations (Minnesota)

MN Alliance for Democracy (Minnesota)

Montgomery Counts Office (Alabama)

Montana Nonprofit Association (Montana)

New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ) (New Jersey)

New Mexico Thrives (New Mexico)

New York State Community Action Association (NYSCAA) (New York)

Nonprofit Association of Oregon (Oregon)

North Carolina Center for Nonprofits (North Carolina)

Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (Oklahoma)

Oklahoma Policy Institute (Oklahoma)

Osceola County Community Foundation (Michigan)

Parents And Children Together (Hawaii)

Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) (Pennsylvania)

People Serving People (Minnesota)

PICO California

Research Advisory Services, Inc. (Arizona)

Together SC (South Carolina)

United Way Bay Area (California)

Virginia Community Action Partnership (Virginia)

Voices for Racial Justice (Minnesota)

Washington Nonprofits (Washington)

West Central Initiative (Minnesota)

Wildfire: Igniting Community Action to End Poverty in Arizona (Arizona)