GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES 2020 CENSUS COUNT COMMITTEE TO ENSURE ACCURATE COUNT, ADEQUATE FEDERAL FUNDING

News Release from Office of the Governor, Apr 1, 2019

HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige announced the formation of the Hawai‘i Government Complete Count Committee (HGCCC), which will coordinate state and county government efforts to count Hawai‘i’s population in 2020. The committee is charged with increasing awareness about the importance of being counted; organizing state resources effectively and cost-efficiently to promote the count; and improving the response rate for the 2020 Census questionnaire.

The governor has selected Dr. Eugene Tian, state economist with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), as the committee chairperson.

The establishment of the committee also represents an important partnership between Hawai‘i and the U.S. Census Bureau which will conduct the 2020 Census.

In support of the Hawai‘i Government Complete Count Committee, Gov. Ige and Lt. Gov. Josh Green have proclaimed April 1, 2019 — 2020 CENSUS DAY in Hawai‘i. Gov. Ige and Lt. Gov Green encourage every Hawai‘i resident to participate in activities related to the 2020 Census, which includes participation in the count.

Gov. Ige spoke to committee members today, at their first monthly meeting.

“It is very important that our population count is accurate. Census data will be used to distribute billions of federal dollars to states and communities each year during the coming decade,” said Gov. Ige.

“Our state’s population rate has been low and undercounted in the last few Census counts. We encourage all residents to invest the time to complete the Census questionnaire which will be sent to them on April 1, 2020. I believe our Government Complete Count Committee will greatly improve our state’s participation rate,” Gov. Ige said.

The committee consists of members from all state government agencies and the four counties.

The Census Bureau plans to fill hundreds of jobs in Hawai‘i within the next year to support the Census count.

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