Carolyn Maloney: “The 2010 census is here. Later this week, on March 12, 2010, forms will be hitting the mailboxes. That is why we must…”

“The 2010 census is here. Later this week, on March 12, 2010, forms will be hitting the mailboxes. That is why we must act quickly to ensure a fair and accurate count without disruption or confusion. Many may not realize this, but the constitutionally mandated census is used to determine the distribution of billions of dollars in Federal funding into our States and our communities, in addition to determining the number of congressional seats per State. Participation in the census is essential to ensuring a brighter tomorrow for our communities and a representative government for our country. It is because of this we must do everything possible to protect the integrity of the United States census and ensure that it is both accurate and cost-effective, and it's why the Congress has appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Census Bureau to encourage participation. Unfortunately, while the U.S. Government is working to encourage participation, there are some organizations that are causing confusion by sending mailers that resemble official census documents.”