State Senator Zellnor Myrie and 33 Brooklyn Elected Officials Call on Governor to Release Adequate Census Funds for Brooklyn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 25, 2019 

Contact: Jonathan Timm, 313-618-7005, jt.nysenate@gmail.com    

STATE SENATOR ZELLNOR Y. MYRIE AND 33 BROOKLYN ELECTEDS CALL ON GOVERNOR TO RELEASE ADEQUATE CENSUS FUNDS FOR BROOKLYN 

Members of Congress, Legislature, City Council & Brooklyn D.A. call on Governor to avoid “unmitigated disaster” of undercount...call for at least $4 million in state census funds 

BROOKLYN -- Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie and 33 Brooklyn elected officials are calling on the Governor to direct at least $4 million of state funds for census outreach efforts to Brooklyn. 

In a joint letter penned by Senator Myrie, the officials write that “An undercount in Brooklyn would be an unmitigated disaster not only for the people we represent, but the entire state. Billions of dollars in federal aid programs could be lost.” 

The letter included all five members of Congress representing Brooklyn, the Brooklyn District Attorney, all eight of the State Senators representing Brooklyn, in addition to numerous Assemblymembers and members of the New York City Council.

In April, the state budget allocated $20 million in Census funding to census outreach efforts. The governor’s office has not yet released these funds or shared how they plan to distribute the funds across the state. 

80 percent of Brooklyn residents live in what are known as “hard to count” neighborhoods - meaning they are at a high risk of being undercounted. The census count determines the amount of federal funds that will go to vital federal aid programs including SNAP, Section 8, Medicaid, and more. An undercount 

“A potential undercount poses a grave risk to the rights, livelihood and wellbeing of millions of people in Brooklyn and across the state. Our community is doing everything in our power to prepare for the census because we take that risk seriously,” the officials continue. “We trust that the state will, too.”  

The letter is only the latest in Senator Myrie’s efforts to ensure that all Brooklyn residents are fully counted in the census and get the funds and representation they deserve. Along with several census information sessions throughout district 20, Senator Myrie recently launched a Complete Count Committee with more than 20 community-based organizations in an effort to expand awareness and engagement in the census.  

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