LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing the United States Congress to expe-
dite the passage of S. 1084/H.R. 1504 requiring that, in the question-
naires used in the taking of any decennial census of population, a
checkbox or other similar option be included so that respondents may
indicate Dominican extraction or descent

WHEREAS, Mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitu-
tion, the Census is a count of everyone residing in the United States:
in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island
Areas; the first Census was conducted in 1790, by horse and wagon, and
has been carried out every 10 years since; and
WHEREAS, Participation in the Census is required by law; all residents
of the United States, including people of all ages, races, ethnic
groups, and both citizens and non-citizens, must be counted; and
WHEREAS, Census data is extremely important as it is used to distrib-
ute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what communi-
ty services to provide and where, and to distribute billions of dollars
in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year, and
is also used by private foundations and other grant makers; and
WHEREAS, New York is justly proud of and greatly enriched by the
diverse cultures, heritages and traditions of the wonderful mosaic of
which its population is comprised; and
WHEREAS, Urban areas have long complained that the decennial Census
undercounts poor people and minorities; New York City has successfully
challenged the Census Bureau's update of its population twice and like
many other cities and states, is seriously concerned about the upcoming
2010 Census in part because, in the 2000 Census, proving to be both
confusing and detrimental to the Dominican community, Hispanics could
only self-identify as Cuban or Puerto Rican or Other, making Dominicans
"Other," despite accounting for about five percent of the city's popu-
lation at the time; and
WHEREAS, Dominicans reside in all of our nation's 437 Congressional
Districts, including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia; it is
estimated that by 2010 there will be 1,920,831 Dominicans living in the
United States, including 825,957 Dominican adults; Dominicans are
already the third largest Hispanic group in America, following Mexicans
and Puerto Ricans, and the second largest immigrant group; and
WHEREAS, Since resources are distributed according to official demo-
graphical data, the undercounting of the Dominican population in the
U.S. Census diminishes the possibility of this community receiving its
fair share in such areas as education, healthcare, economic development,
and political representation; and
WHEREAS, For more than a decade, the Dominican American National
Roundtable (DANR) has been working to bring the U.S. Census plight of
the Dominican population to light and to correct it; and
WHEREAS, Under its auspices, DANR has recently launched a national
awareness campaign "Uno Mas Uno" (One Plus One) to highlight the fact
that Dominicans are not properly counted by the U.S. Census and to urge
the inclusion of a Dominican category checkbox to respond to the ques-
tion of nationality on the Census form, along with the Mexican, Puerto
Rican, Cuban and other options; and
WHEREAS, It is time to make sure all New Yorkers are counted fairly
and accurately in the Census; New York's Dominican community contributes
significantly to the economy, diverse culture, and way of life in New
York; ignoring these contributions in our Census data is wrong and
prevents us from obtaining a true picture of the people, families and
communities of our State and nation; and

WHEREAS, On March 12, 2009, Harlem and Northern Manhattan U.S. Repre-
sentative Charles Rangel introduced H.R. 1504, co-sponsored by New
York's 16th Congressional Representative Jose E. Serrano, requiring the
U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who is responsible for the Census, to
include in any questionnaires used in the taking of any decennial census
of population, a checkbox or other similar option for respondents to
indicate Dominican extraction or descent; on May 20, 2009, New York's
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand introduced S.
1084, the Senate version of the bill, stating that it is time to make
this important change; and
WHEREAS, Since filling out the 2010 Census form is required by law,
there are many benefits to making this portion of the form more compre-
hensive; though the 2010 Census looms around the corner, there is still
time to improve the paper forms before they are printed; and
WHEREAS, New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the world
and must be fully represented in the Census; the provision of a Domini-
can checkbox will surely better represent the full diversity of New York
City, as well as encourage higher census participation in the Latino
community and represent a move toward a full Hispanic count in the 2010
Census; and
WHEREAS, New Yorkers of Dominican descent are an essential part of the
New York City and New York State population and deserve to be accurately
counted; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Congress of the United States be and hereby is
respectfully memorialized by this Legislative Body to expedite the
passage of S. 1084/H.R. 1504 requiring that, in the questionnaires used
in the taking of any decennial census of population, a checkbox or other
similar option be included so that respondents may indicate Dominican
extraction or descent; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the President of the Senate of the United States, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, and to each member of the Congress of
the United States from the State of New York.