Schatz, Murkowski, Sullivan Introduce Bill To Extend Key 2020 Census Deadlines Due To COVID-19 Pandemic

The 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act follows a previous request made by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham to extend the deadlines for apportionment and redistricting, citing the pandemic delaying census operations. The bill would extend the deadline for the delivery of apportionment data to the U.S. House of Representatives to April 30, 2021 from December 31, 2020. It would also extend the statutory delivery of redistricting data to the states to July 31, 2021 from March 31, 2021. More than 200 groups have endorsed the legislation, including the AARP, National Association of Counties, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, National Organization of Black County Officials, National Council of Nonprofits, National Congress of American Indians, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NALEO Educational Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and MALDEF. A full list of endorsements can be found here. The full text of the bill is available here.