Congresswoman Matsui Stresses Importance of Participate in 2010 Census to Sacramentans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 26, 2010

CONTACT: MARA LEE
(202) 225-7163

CA In anticipation of the upcoming 2010 Census deadline, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) issued the following statement regarding the importance of all Americans filing their census. Congresswoman Matsui is working with her colleagues in Washington to recognize March as National Census Awareness Month by cosponsoring legislation in the House of Representatives. Additionally, Representative Matsui is sharing useful information with Sacramentans on her website throughout March, in anticipation of the April 1, 2010 deadline.

As laid forth by our Constitution, the federal government is required to count our population every ten years, said Matsui. The product of this process is essential in the fair division of more than $400 billion in federal funding, appropriation of seats in Congress, and development of community services.

During the 2000 Census count, it was very likely that many of Sacramento's immigrant and minority communities were undercounted. Because of this, we lost out on hundreds of thousands of dollars for our school districts, police departments, community health clinics, and low-income housing providers. It is critical that every man, woman and child in Sacramento be counted.

The 2010 Census will be one of the shortest in history, with only ten questions that should take about a minute each to answer. It is critical that Sacramento's families participate in this simple survey, taking ten minutes out of their day to complete their Census form. With everyone's participation, we can together ensure that Sacramento continues to receive its fair share of federal funding for critical programs.