The 2010 Census undercount cost New York two congressional districts and hundreds of millions of dollars annually in federal aid, Assemblyman Crespo introduces legislation to create the 2020 Complete Count Commission
Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Chair of the Assembly Task Force on Demographics and Reapportionment, was joined by good government groups, anti-poverty advocates and other legislators to unveil legislation (A.9554) which will begin the process to prepare New York State for a proper count during the 2020 Census. Undercounts during the 2000 and 2010 Census have cost New York two congressional seats and a loss of tens of billions in federal aid for a range of programs from education to housing to transportation. The legislation begins a multi-year planning process to ensure that state, local and nonprofit sectors are better prepared to ensure a proper count and will prevent future funding losses, including the now projected loss of one more congressional member due to a combination of slow population growth and chronic undercounting of New York State residents.
“With rampant growth in child poverty rates and among our elderly and families, New York can ill afford another census undercount. It has already cost us tens of billions in lost federal aid which could have been used to strengthen our communities and economy. It has also cost us political clout in Washington as we continue to lose members of Congress as other states gain members. My legislation begins the process to ensure a proper count and bring billions in needed aid to communities across New York,” stated Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo.
“Each person not counted by the U.S Census costs New York State $3,054 dollars in lost federal funding. Now multiply this by the more than 700,000 New Yorkers not counted and what we find is that annually our State loses $1.5 billion in federal aid for a range of programs which help our children, our families, our senior citizens with their education, their housing needs, their medical needs and more,” added Crespo. “And this figure could be much higher because New York State has done little to ensure state and local level participation in ensuring a complete count.”
At a conservative estimate, the loss of $1.5 billion each year for a decade between 2010 and 2020, New York will have lost $15 billion dollars in federal aid provided through 75 programs which are apportioned and distribute to states and localities using statistics gathered by the decennial census. An undercount guarantees not only lose in federal aid but with population shifts in the 50 states New York has lost and will continue to lose seats in Congress.
The proposed legislation creates a 61 member planning body called the 2020 Complete Count Commission. It is responsible for putting together an action plan for state, local and nonprofit agencies to ensure a complete count. The commission must produce three reports to document the plan and progress on implementing it prior to the 2020 Census. The commission is also required to recommend state funding levels to implement their proposed action plans prior to the enactment of budgets for FY 2017-18 through FY 2019-20.
Crespo remarked, “In 2009, NYS appropriated $2 million dollars to help with public awareness on the importance of the 2010 Census. That amount translated into roughly a ten cents investment in every New Yorker. That low level of investment and attention given to the important functions of the Census led to the documented undercount. This mistake cannot be repeated.”
The undercount of the 2010 Census was very evident in New York City. There, over 8 million people living in only about 305 square miles were told that the City had only grown by about 100,000 residents even though over the previous 10 years over 1.25 million births had been recorded by the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Simultaneously, there had been only about 500,000 deaths during that period. The U.S. Census told New York State that it had only grown by 164,000 residents. Upstate New York covers almost 47,000 square miles and has over 9 million of the State’s 19.4 million residents. “It is obvious that if an undercount has occurred in a smaller and highly dense populated area that Upstate New York has probably been subject to a worse undercount,” declared Crespo.
Prior to the beginning of the 2010 Census, the NYC population was estimated to be at 8.1 million residents and City officials had estimated it had grown to 8.4 million. However the US Census enumerated only 8,175,133 residents. Parts of Upstate and Long Island had seen growth as well but the Census count enumerated NYS residents at 19,378,102, a probable under count of some half a million residents.
“To compound this problem, the US Census announced late last year that New York was in line to lose another congressional district based on slow population growth and rapid growth in other parts of the country. The need for a complete and accurate count and the need for New York State to begin the planning process now for the 2020 Census is very clear,” Stated Crespo.
According to Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, member of the Assembly Standing Committee on Housing, “In the last Census, undercounting of New York’s population, especially in New York City, cost the state and city millions of dollars in aid and almost certainly — and unfairly — weakened New York’s representation in Congress,” said Assemblyman Luis Sepúlveda (D, Bronx). “This cannot be allowed to happen again. Consequently, it is imperative that we plan ahead to ensure that the 2020 Census accurately counts all New Yorkers.”
