Sen. Sal DiDomenico played a key role in securing funding in the state budget that will help to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census. Sen. DiDomenico and his House colleague Representative Michael Moran were the lead sponsors of an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget that provided $2.5 million to establish a grant program for statewide census outreach. This grant program will help to support trusted community organizations and grassroots leaders reach historically hard-to-count communities, such as Everett and Chelsea.
From the beginning of the legislative session, Sen. DiDomenico has worked closely with the Massachusetts Census Equity Fund to secure funding needed in advance of the 2020 Census and spread awareness on the importance of a complete and accurate census count. Throughout the year, they have held legislative briefings at the Massachusetts State House to secure support for their budget priorities and help legislators and staff understand what is at stake in the 2020 Census.
“With $16 billion in federal funding to Massachusetts for programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP on the line, it is critical that we do everything we can to get an accurate Census count,” said Sen. DiDomenico. “More than half of my district’s population lives in hard to count neighborhoods, which is why I know how important it is that we work with community based organizations that have trusted messengers to get out the count in 2020. I was very proud to secure this funding in the Senate budget and work with Representative Moran to advocate for the $2.5M included in the final budget.”
The Census is a national population count that occurs once every decade. The results of the Census are used to make critical decision that will impact Massachusetts over the next ten years, such as federal funding for local communities, political representation throughout the Commonwealth, and even civil rights laws.