HB0928 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB101 07822 RJF 52873 b

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB0928

Introduced , by Rep. André Thapedi

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the 2020 Census Grant Program Act. Creates the 2020 Census Grant Program for the purpose of issuing matching grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to support the accurate counting of the population of the State and its local jurisdictions, and the collection of basic demographic and housing information of the population of this State for the 2020 Census. Creates the 2020 Census Grant Program Panel and provides for its membership. Provides administrative support for the Grant Panel. Provides for the awarding of funds under the Grant Program. Requires notice to be given to units of local government and nonprofit organizations concerning the Grant Program. Provides that for fiscal year 2020, the Governor shall include in the annual State budget for the 2020 Census Grant Program an appropriation of $33,000,000. Provides legislative findings. Defines terms. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2022. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 2020 Census Grant Program Act.

Section 5. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) Section 2 of Article 1 of the United States Constitution requires a non-biased and nonpolitical enumeration of the population of the United States every 10 years, which is known as the federal decennial census;

(2) the federal decennial census is important because census figures affect congressional representation, State redistricting, federal formula grant allocations, State funding to local governments, local programs, and planning activities for the next 10 years;

(3) the federal decennial census not only counts population, but also: (i) establishes representation decisions for federal, State, and local governments; (ii) is the basis upon which federal funding is allocated for programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the National School Lunch Program; and (iii) guides business decisions regarding labor pools and investment choices;

(4) Congress has underfunded the U.S. Commerce Department's budget to conduct the 2020 Census, causing the Census Bureau to cancel certain preparations that would test the Census Bureau's new digital tools;

(5) the Census Bureau plans for 80% of the country to receive communications that urge a response to the census via the Internet;

(6) the Census Bureau's reliance on the Internet is worrisome because 21% of rural households do not currently have Internet access at home, putting rural residents at risk of being undercounted;

(7) historically, it has been more difficult to reach and enumerate certain groups as part of the federal decennial census, including, but not limited to, racial and ethnic minorities, persons who do not speak English fluently, lower income persons, homeless persons, undocumented immigrants, young mobile persons, children, persons who are distrustful of the government, and LGBTQ persons;

(8) a geographic area is considered hard-to-count if the area's self-response rate in the 2010 decennial census was 73% or less;

(9) according to the Census 2020 hard-to-count map application developed by the City University of New York Mapping Service, approximately 16% of Illinoisans are hard-to-count and face a high likelihood of being undercounted;

(10) according to the George Washington University Institute for Public Policy, in fiscal year 2015, Illinois received $19,738,866,367, or approximately $1,535 per capita, for 16 major federal assistance programs that distribute funds based on federal decennial census-derived statistics;

(11) because federal decennial census data are used in political, business, and social welfare contexts, the accuracy of the count is critical;

(12) a complete and accurate count of all Illinois residents in the 2020 Census is vital to ensure fair political representation and distribution of funding in Illinois;

(13) in fiscal year 2015, the 50 states and the District of Columbia received $589,700,000,000 from 16 large federal assistance programs that allocate funds on the basis of federal decennial census–derived statistics;

(14) there are census tracts in jurisdictions throughout the State where achieving an accurate count of the population is challenging, including the counties of Cook, DeKalb, Pulaski, Will DuPage, Kane, Peoria, Alexander, Jackson, Coles, Champaign, St. Claire, McDonough, Madison, Winnebago, and Lake;

(15) the U.S. Government Accountability Office added the 2020 Census to the High Risk list because of concerns about funding and effective operations, increasing concerns about an undercount of the population; and

(16) adequate funding is necessary to ensure a complete and accurate count of all people in this State, and it is the intent of the General Assembly that existing governmental outreach and education efforts be used to facilitate a complete count for the 2020 Census.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"2020 Census" means the decennial census conducted by the United States Census Bureau in the year 2020 to determine the number of people living in the United States for purposes of apportionment of representatives in the House of Representatives.

"Grant Panel" means the 2020 Census Grant Program Panel.

Section 15. 2020 Census Grant Program.

(a) There is created the 2020 Census Grant Program for the purpose of issuing matching grants to units of local government and nonprofit organizations to support the accurate counting of the population of the State and its local jurisdictions, and the collection of basic demographic and housing information of the population of this State for the 2020 Census.

(b) There is created the 2020 Census Grant Program Panel. The Grant Panel shall consist of the following members:

(i) a chair appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(ii) two members appointed by the Governor; and

(iii) two members appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(c) The Secretary of State shall provide staff and administrative support for the Grant Panel. A member of the Grant Panel shall not receive compensation for service as a member of the Grant Panel, but is entitled to reimbursement for necessary travel expenses incurred by the member.

(d) On or before July 1, 2019, a unit of local government or nonprofit organization may apply to the Grant Panel for matching funds to support the accurate counting of the population of its jurisdiction or the State and the collection of basic demographic and housing information of the population of the State for the 2020 Census.

(e) On or before August 1, 2019, the Grant Panel shall award matching funds, in an amount determined by the Grant Panel, to units of local government and nonprofit organizations for approved applications.

(f) The Grant Panel shall notify units of local government of the 2020 Census Grant Program. Units of local government receiving notice from the Grant Panel under this subsection (f) shall notify nonprofit organizations within the jurisdiction of the unit of local government of the 2020 Census Grant Program.

(g) For fiscal year 2020, the Governor shall include in the annual State budget for the 2020 Census Grant Program an appropriation of $33,000,000.

Section 20. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1, 2022.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.