MACo Associate Director Kevin Kinnally today submitted written testimony in support of House Joint Resolution 6 – Participation by Maryland Residents in the 2020 Census.

This joint resolution affirms that all practical efforts should be made to ensure a full, fair, and accurate count of all Maryland residents on Census Day, April 1, 2020. Moreover, the joint resolution strongly encourages all Marylanders to participate fully in the 2020 census.

From the MACo testimony:

Census data is used to allocate billions of dollars in federal funding for education, health, transportation, housing, community services, and job training. Moreover, businesses and industries decide where to locate new facilities and services based on census data, creating new jobs and promoting economic growth.

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An accurate census count, or lack thereof, has a lasting effect on counties, particularly when it comes to the distribution of federal funds. An under-counted population may lead to a significant decline in federal funding flowing to county governments or to county residents.

Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2020 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.