2020 Maryland Complete Count Committee Holds First Meeting One Year in Advance of Census Day

Executive Order Signed by Governor Hogan Directs Committee to Raise Awareness of and Participation in Census

Annapolis, MD – With the 2020 census exactly one year away, the newly formed 2020 Maryland Complete Count Committee (CCC) today held their first meeting in Annapolis as the state prepares and mobilizes for the decennial census. The Maryland CCC includes nonprofit leaders, elected officials, state agency heads, and county and municipal government representatives.

“A complete and accurate census count of Maryland’s population is essential to the state,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Our administration is committed to ensuring that every Marylander is counted on April 1, 2020. We are encouraging innovative efforts to increase census participation rates in the state so that Maryland has the resources, representation, and communities that accurately reflect our diverse population, from Oakland to Ocean City. ”

The 2020 decennial census is required by law to count every person in the United States. Census information is used to distribute billions in federal funds for programs and services, reapportionment for Congress and local legislative districts, and for important local economic development and planning decisions. The census is confidential and protected by federal law. Census Day is April 1, 2020 – the date where every person living in the U.S. is asked to fill out and submit their census forms by mail and for the first time ever, online.

The U.S. Census Bureau urges the formation of CCCs at the state, jurisdictional and municipal level to organize census efforts.

The Maryland CCC includes:

Two appointees of Governor Hogan (Co-Chairs)
Lily Castillo, Workplace Management Group and Hispanos sin Fronteras
Walkiria Pool, Centro de Apoyo Familiar, or Center for Assistance to Families
Rob McCord, Secretary, Maryland Department of Planning
Steve McAdams, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives
Lourdes Padilla, Secretary, Department of Human Services
Debra Lichter, Superintendent’s Designee, Maryland State Department of Education
Senator Mary Washington
Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins
Patrick Murray, Baltimore County Government (appointee of MACo)
Lauren Sukai, City of Gaithersburg (appointee of MML)

“We are deeply honored to have been chosen by Governor Hogan to chair this important statewide committee,” co-chairs Pool and Castillo said in a joint statement. “The Maryland CCC will focus on educating Marylanders about the importance of the census to our families and communities, building partnerships to encourage communities to be counted, and getting every Maryland resident to fill out and submit their 2020 census form.”

Governor Hogan signed Executive Order 01.01.2019.03 in February 2019 directing the Maryland CCC to assist the state in achieving a full and accurate count in the 2020 decennial census. The CCC will develop and implement an engagement and outreach plan to build partnerships and coordinate with local governments and other organizations throughout Maryland.

The Maryland Department of Planning serves as the governor’s liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau, and will work closely with the CCC on administrative, staffing and budgetary purposes.

For every Marylanders uncounted, it is estimated to cost the state more than $18,250 per person in unaccessed federal funds, which provide critical funding for programs including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and transportation.

Department of Planning Secretary Rob McCord, a member of the Maryland CCC, noted that the department has been preparing for the 2020 census for more than two years and the once-every-ten-years census process has a tremendous impact on the state’s ability to plan for Maryland’s future. “We’ve built a strong partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau so Maryland is prepared to be fully counted in 2020. The impact of the census affects the state’s residents daily lives so we cannot afford to leave any Marylander uncounted.”

In addition to the efforts of the CCC, the 2020 Census Grant Program last week announced more than $4 million in funding to nonprofit organizations and local governments to perform census outreach initiatives to increase Maryland’s return rates in low response communities and hard-to-count populations including ethnic minorities and young children.

The CCC will meet at least quarterly until March 31, 2020, and will provide an interim report to Governor Hogan by Dec. 31, 2019, with a final report summarizing the activities and suggested improvements by Sept. 30, 2020.To learn more about Maryland’s census efforts, please visit census.maryland.gov, send an email to census@maryland.gov, or via social media on Twitter @MDCensus2020.

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