PURPOSE

The hearing will discuss the ongoing preparations for the 2020 Census and the addition of a citizenship question.

BACKGROUND

The U.S. Census is required by the Constitution and occurs once a decade. The decennial census counts every resident in the United States, and data collected by the census is used to determine the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives and the distribution of federal funds to communities across the country.
The census requires years of planning and development to ensure a complete and accurate count. The 2020 Census will be the first decennial census to ever be conducted online. In preparation, the Census Bureaus has designed and implemented many new technologies and systems that require additional oversight.
On March 26, 2018, Secretary Ross announced his decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census in response to a request from the Department of Justice on December 12, 2017.