| R 345 |
| 2018 -- S 3002 Enacted 06/23/2018 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO CREATE A "RHODE ISLAND COMPLETE COUNT COMMITTEE" TO DEVELOP, RECOMMEND, AND ASSIST IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF A CENSUS OUTREACH STRATEGY TO ENCOURAGE FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE 2020 CENSUS |
| Introduced By: Senator Sandra Cano |
| Date Introduced: June 22, 2018 |
| WHEREAS, Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution requires an |
| enumeration of the population every ten years to apportion congressional representation among |
| the states; and |
| WHEREAS, Pursuant to Section 141 of Title 13 of the United States Code, the next |
| federal decennial census of the population will be taken on April 1, 2020; and |
| WHEREAS, A complete and accurate count of Rhode Island’s population is essential to |
| the state, because the census count determines congressional representation, state redistricting, |
| and federal formula grant allocations for an entire decade until the next decennial census is taken; |
| and |
| WHEREAS, It is vitally important for Rhode Island to do everything it can to ensure that |
| every Rhode Islander is counted in the upcoming census; and |
| WHEREAS, A complete count committee, using local knowledge and expertise will |
| develop and coordinate a census outreach program to increase awareness about the census and |
| motivate residents in the community to respond; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
| hereby respectfully requests the Governor of the State of Rhode Island to create a "Rhode Island |
| Complete Count Committee"; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the membership of said committee should include thirty-one (31) |
| members: one of whom shall be the Governor of the State of Rhode Island, or designee; one of |
| whom shall be appointed by the Governor of the State of Rhode Island; one of whom shall be the |
| President of the Senate, or designee; one of whom shall be the Speaker of the House of |
| Representatives, or designee; one of whom shall be the Minority Leader of the Senate, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the Rhode Island Secretary of State, or designee; one of whom |
| shall be the Chief of Library Services for the State of Rhode Island, or designee; one of whom |
| shall be the Associate Director of the Division of Statewide Planning, or designee; five (5) of |
| whom shall be individuals representing units of local government, one from a community greater |
| than one hundred thousand (100,000) in population, one from a community between fifty |
| thousand (50,000) and one hundred thousand (100,000) in population, two (2) from communities |
| between ten thousand (10,000) and fifty thousand (50,000) in population, and one from a |
| community less than ten thousand (10,000) in population, with due consideration given to |
| geographic diversity within the state, to be appointed by the Governor; one of whom shall be the |
| Executive Director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, or designee; five (5) of |
| whom shall be representatives of different organizations representing the interests of hard-to- |
| count populations in the state, to be appointed by the Governor; one of whom shall be a member |
| of a federally recognized tribe located in the state, to be appointed by the Governor; two (2) of |
| whom shall be individuals representing the interests of business in the state, including one |
| organization representing minority business interests, to be appointed by the Governor; two (2) of |
| whom shall be individuals representing educational interests, including elementary and secondary |
| and higher education in the state, to be appointed by the Governor; two (2) of whom shall be |
| individuals representing faith communities in the state, to be appointed by the Governor; one of |
| whom shall be an individual representing youth in the state, to be appointed by the Governor; one |
| of whom shall be an individual representing the philanthropic community in the state, to be |
| appointed by the Governor; one of whom shall be an individual representing the health care |
| community in the state, to be appointed by the Governor; and one of whom shall be an individual |
| representing senior citizens in the state, to be appointed by the Governor; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Governor, or designee, should serve as a co-chairperson of the |
| committee and the Governor’s appointee should serve as a co-chairperson of the committee. The |
| committee should meet at the call of either co-chair or upon request of any ten (10) members of |
| the committee; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Committee would develop, recommend, and assist in the |
| administration of a census outreach strategy to encourage full participation in the 2020 federal |
| decennial census of population. The census outreach strategy would include, but not be limited to, |
| state agency initiatives to encourage participation in the 2020 Census, the establishment and |
| support of school-based outreach programs, partnerships with nonprofit community-based |
| organizations, and a multi-lingual, multi-media campaign designed to ensure an accurate and |
| complete count of Rhode Island’s population; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Committee would collaborate and coordinate with the United |
| States Bureau of the Census and any other complete count committees established in the State of |
| Rhode Island in identifying and carrying out the state’s outreach strategy. The Committee's |
| outreach strategy would be coordinated through the Office of the Governor which would provide |
| administrative support to the committee and coordinate with all state agencies and constitutional |
| officers, as well as units of local government, to identify effective methods of outreach to Rhode |
| Islanders and to provide resources to ensure the outreach program is successful and that all Rhode |
| Islanders are counted; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, To assist in carrying out its duties, the committee would create and appoint |
| subcommittees as it deems appropriate and shall solicit participation from relevant experts and |
| practitioners involved in census issues; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby requests that the Committee submit an interim |
| report to the General Assembly on or before January 15, 2019, containing its recommended |
| outreach strategy to encourage full participation and to avoid an undercount in the 2020 Census; |
| thereafter, the Committee shall submit its final report to the General Assembly not later than June |
| 30, 2019, specifying its recommended outreach strategy for implementation for the 2020 Census, |
| and said Committee shall expire on December 31, 2020; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Gina Raimondo, Governor of the |
| State of Rhode Island. |
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| LC005991 |
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