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State Representative Geraldine Thompson Calls on Governor Ron DeSantis to Set up a Census Commission

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State and local leaders today called on Governor Ron DeSantis to set up a commission that would track people’s participation in the 2020 census. 

The City of Orlando and Orange County will  use Complete Count Committees during the 2020 census. 

These groups of volunteers from local nonprofits and faith-based organizations will educate people about the importance of being counted and help them fill-out their forms. 

State Representative Geraldine Thompson says Governor Ron DeSantis should set up a similar state-wide commission that would monitor people’s participation.

“That hasn’t occurred at this point. And so I am very happy to be here with our mayors because they are taking the responsibility on the local level to be doing what we should be doing at the state level.”

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State Senator Victor Torres says an influx of Puerto Ricans from Hurricane Maria and immigrants from other Spanish-speaking countries account for much of the population growth in his district. 

He says with the Trump administration’s threat of placing a citizenship question on the census more outreach needs to be done to make sure people feel safe participating. 

“I can’t stress the fact of how important it is to be counted for our schools, for our housing.”

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The bipartisan nonprofit Florida TaxWatch says an under count could cause the state to lose billions of dollars in federal funding.

The census will be available on paper and online starting April 1, 2020. 
If you'd like to listen to the story, please click on the clip above.

Danielle Prieur is WMFE's education reporter.