H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
SUPPORTING A COMPLETE AND ACCERATE 2000 CENSUS
WHEREAS, The 2000 Census is about to be taken; and
WHEREAS, In the past, minorities have not been counted as accurately as whites; and
the 1990 Census also disproportionately missed children; and
WHEREAS, The values the Census serves are important to equality and freedom; and
WHEREAS, A key part of this endeavor is collecting and organizing the data that measure the strength of the minority communities, to provide everyone full and proper recognition; and
WHEREAS, Census information is also the basis for the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws; and
WHEREAS, As the only source of reliable information of the racial make-up of voting-age Rhode Islanders in their precise locations, the decennial Census is crucial for carrying out the Supreme Court rulings on "one person, one vote," to implement the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and
WHEREAS, Accurate census information is necessary to access the fairness of employment practices under the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and
WHEREAS, The Census also provides government agencies, and everyone else, with data on racial and income disparities in health, housing, and lending; and
WHEREAS, It provides local and state planners with the information they need to plan schools and job training centers and where to build new medical facilities, shopping centers and roads; and
WHEREAS, Nearly $200 billion a year in federal funds are allocated based, in part, on Census information; and
WHEREAS, The Census also tells us how we're doing, as a society, in particular, how we're doing in terms of equality, and provides a baseline for the next 10 years of population surveys; and
WHEREAS, A Census that misses greater proportions of African Americans, Africans, Hispanics, South East Asians and other minority groups than the rest of Rhode Island denies those communities their full and rightful voice in government; and
WHEREAS, Census information is kept absolutely confidential, and it is a criminal offense for anyone to disclose information to anyone else, including to the Internal Revenue Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the police, landlords, or anybody; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the RI Census of Black and Minority Legislators and House of Representatives supports the complete and accurate counting of all persons, particularly the traditionally undercounted minorities, and children in the state of Rhode Island; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby supports the year 2000 Partnership programs and other programs designed to facilitate an accurate count and appropriate data dissemination projects after the Census.
