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March 12, 2020

U.S. Census begins Thursday; $11B in CT federal funding at stake

Photo | Contributed
By Joe Cooper

Connecticut residents on Thursday will begin receiving Census Bureau invitations by mail, kicking off a nationwide process to count every U.S. resident.

The paper questionnaires, distributed each decade, are critical to getting an accurate count of residents in each state because the data determine states’ federal funding allocations. 

Individuals responding will submit one census form listing for each person who lives in their household. This year’s census -- which must be filled out by everyone living in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., five U.S. territories and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- will be the first time residents can also respond online or by phone.

Bilingual invitations will be sent to neighborhoods where at least a fifth of residents speak Spanish, and the Census Bureau is also providing online assistance in 12 non-English languages, and language guides/glossaries in 59 non-English languages.

In Connecticut, nearly $11 billion in federal funding is at stake, so it’s critical for residents to take the mailed notifications seriously, said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who is leading The Connecticut Complete Count Committee.

The federal funding to Connecticut includes programs including Medicaid, SNAP, WIF, federal school lunch programs, community block grants, transportation and highway projects, among many others.

“I also want to emphasize that the census is protected by Title 13 and any personal information given to the U.S. Census Bureau cannot be shared with any federal, state, or local entity,” Bysiewicz said in a statement Wednesday.

“Census employees take a life-long oath to protect your data and face strict penalties including a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, if they break that oath,” she continued.

Invitations will be delivered to residents through March 24, and final postcards will be delivered to households that have not responded between April 20 and April 27, state officials say. Census takers will follow up in-person at households that have not responded before the end of July.

Click here to learn more about the 2020 Census.

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