skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump announces historic Iran-Israel ceasefire agreement to end '12 Day War'; IN college sports ban on trans athletes starts July 1; KY child overdose cases highlighted during National Safety Month; Report: More Gen Z students factor politics into college decisions.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Some in Congress question the legality of Trump's Iran strikes, as he announces a ceasefire. Gen Zers filter their college choices by politics, and Islamophobic rhetoric surfaces in NYC's tight mayoral race.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Giant data centers powering artificial intelligence want cheap rural land but some communities are pushing back, Hurricane Helene mobilized a North Carolina town in unexpected ways, and Cherokee potters make ceramics that honor multiple generations.

Report: Colorado Should Invest in Census Outreach

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 12, 2019   

DENVER — Colorado should invest $12 million in state funds to ensure an accurate count in the upcoming 2020 Census. That’s the recommendation of a new report from the Colorado Fiscal Institute.

The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to count every living person in the country every ten years. But Esther Turcios, policy analyst at the institute and the report's lead author, said due to a variety of factors – including a controversial citizenship question – the state could miss out on its share of Congressional seats and lots of federal money if it doesn't put some muscle into outreach.

"The 2020 Census is right around the corner,” Turcios said. “And if we care about making sure that Coloradans are well represented, we need to make sure everyone is counted - no matter who they are, where they live, what identities they hold."

Turcios said a lack of federal funding for the Census Bureau also could lead to an under-count of Colorado residents. And she added that even if a question about whether someone is a U.S. citizen is removed from the Census, the current climate surrounding immigration has stoked fear among many of the state's residents, and she worries they might not answer the door when Census workers come knocking.

Defenders of a citizenship question have argued it's necessary to protect voting rights. In January, a federal judge blocked the move to add a citizenship question, noting that the Trump administration broke a "smorgasbord" of federal rules, cherry-picked facts, and hid information from Census experts.

Turcios admitted that convincing Colorado lawmakers to use state money to pay for work mandated by the U.S. Constitution won't be easy.

“Twelve million sounds like a lot," she said, "but it means bringing in $8 billion to pay for programs that we all care about and and that we all benefit from, for programs that help pay for school lunches for our kiddos."

Other states, including Minnesota, Oregon and Virginia, already have earmarked state funds to ensure an accurate count.

The report's recommendations include targeted outreach to explain the importance of being counted and mobilizing volunteers who are known and trusted by hard-to-count communities, including immigrants, people of color, low-income and rural residents.

The legal battle over the Trump administration's citizenship question is widely expected to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
State funding sustains programs like the Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund, which support nonprofits promoting abortion rights and equity in sexual health. (Ryzhkov/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

California groups fighting for equality and inclusivity in health care are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign the state budget as is, leaving LGBTQ+ …


play sound

A drumming program at Ohio State University-Lima is helping people dealing with Parkinson's disease improve coordination, memory, and overall …

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are at odds after the governor vetoed Senate Bill 3, legislation which would have banned the sale of …


Environment

play sound

Minnesota's high-profile community solar program will stick around after state lawmakers opted not to approve a sunset provision. Assistance groups …

Prairies once covered a significant portion of Wisconsin, but today less than 0.1% of original prairies remain, making them one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

June is National Pollinator Month and a local agricultural group which aims to empower women in conservation is bringing awareness to how prairie rest…

Social Issues

play sound

State governments are fighting back against scammers who make use of cryptocurrency kiosks to steal money from people unaware they are being targeted…

Social Issues

play sound

A new Indiana law takes effect July 1 banning transgender women and girls from playing on women's college sports teams, expanding the state's earlier …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021