A bill that would allocate funds to local governments and nonprofit groups in hopes of accumulating the most accurate census data has been assigned to the House Appropriations-General Services Committee.
Filed by Rep. Andre Thapedi (D-Chicago), the 2020 Census Grant Program Act seeks $33 million for the 2020 Census Grant Program set aside as part of the official state budget.
House Bill 0928, which was assigned to the House Appropriations-General Services Committee Feb. 5, also calls for the creation of the 2020 Census Grant Program Panel, along with providing administrative support for the panel’s maintenance and upkeep.
Rep. Andre Thepadi
Since being filed by Thapedi in late January, the bill has gained the co-sponsorship support of at least 24 lawmakers, among them Reps. Sonya M. Harper (D-Chicago), LaToya Greenwood (D-East St. Louis), La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago), Robert Rita (D-Blue Island) and Camille Y. Lilly (D-Oak Park).
In the latest Census Bureau data, Illinois lost 45,116 people from 2017 to 2018, marking the fifth straight year the state has lost population to drop behind Pennsylvania as the fifth-largest state in the country. The dwindling population could cause the state to lose up to two of its 18 congressional seats after the 2020 census.
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