A big sigh of relief has come over members of the governor convened Oregon Complete Count Committee (OCCC). In the final hours of the Legislative Session, the Legislature passed the infamous “Christmas tree bill” (HB 5050), which serves as a tool for budget reconciliation and funds additional projects. In the bill, an allocation of $7.5 million was made to the United Way for census outreach.
OCCC has been working since April to guide the state in ensuring a complete and accurate count is made on the 2020 census. In addition to overall awareness, OCCC is putting a heavy emphasis in their work on hard to count populations. Funding is crucial in getting out the message.
In addition to the $7.5 million state allocation that will be dedicated to the hard to count campaign, OCCC, with partners, will be seeking additional contributions to ensure a robust public awareness campaign occurs.
Obtaining a complete count is imperative for counties and the state as a whole, because this data will impact the state’s representation in Congress and determine federal funding for critical programs. Nearly $900 billion of funding at the federal level is allocated based on census data.
For any questions regarding OCCC, please contact Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) Legal Counsel, Rob Bovett. Bovett serves as the AOC staff representative on the committee.
Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate