On the recordMarch 3, 2010
It is with great pleasure that I rise today in strong support of this resolution encouraging everyone across the United States to participate in the 2010 Census and recognizing the month of March as 2010 Census Awareness Month. Since 1930, we have undertaken the monumental task of counting the total U.S. population every 10 years on April 1st. I urge everyone across the Nation to join in the count and I applaud the actions of Representative Silvestre Reyes from Texas for introducing this resolution. Active participation in the 2010 Census is especially important in minority communities, which have been historically underrepresented in previous counts. It is important that we do all we can to spread the word about the upcoming census count in these groups. In the year 2000, 3 million of our friends, family and neighbors were not included in the census count. We can no longer afford such oversights which prevent these individuals and their communities from receiving funding. This count affects more than $400 billion in Federal and State funding for public investments, helps planners across the Nation in determining the location of schools, hospitals and senior citizen centers, and assists in determining the makeup of local and national voting districts. Mr. Speaker, fewer things in life are easier than filling out census forms. Answering these 10 questions is vital to attaining an accurate count of the American people.
