Illinois 2020 Census Advisory Panel
October 18, 2019
9:30am
Locations
IDHS Harris Building - 100 S. Grand Ave, 3rd Floor, Springfield
James R. Thompson Center - 100 W. Randolph St, Suite 16-504, Chicago
Panel members in Chicago: State Representative Carol Ammons, Deborah Bennett, State Senator Kimberly Lightford, State Representative Theresa Mah, State Senator Iris Martinez, Maria Pesquiera, State Representative Andre Thapedi
Panel members in Springfield: Representative Ryan Spain
Panel members absent: State Representative Elizabeth (Lisa) Hernandez, State Senator Andy Manar, State Senator Dan McConchie, State Senator Jill Tracy
Panel members participating by phone/video: Former Representative Mike Fortner
Staff in attendance: Deputy Governor Sol Flores, Oswaldo Alvarez, John Arenas, Kia Coleman, Andre Jordan, Emily Katalinich, Hina Mahmood, John Schomberg, Marishonta Wilkerson, Yolonda Williams
Welcome and Introductions
The meeting was called to order by Deputy Governor Sol Flores at 9:55 am. The Deputy Governor welcomed the attendees and informed the advisory panel that the selected Regional Intermediaries for the 2020 Census Grant Program would be announced in the afternoon. She also shared that the Northwest region of Illinois, which includes Jo Daviess, Carroll, Whiteside, Lee, LaSalle, Bureau, Putnam, Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island Counties, was not awarded a competitive grant in this round due to the lack of an applicant that met the necessary criteria. The Deputy Governor stated that a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Northwest region will be released today to ensure every area in Illinois is fully included in the Census 2020 program. The Deputy Governor encouraged panel members to promote the NOFO to ensure IDHS receives eligible applications.
Anita Banerji with Forefront presented about the organization's Census Communications Toolkit, which was created to encourage consistent messaging about the census across nonprofit organizations. The toolkit can be found at: http://ilcountmein2020.org/toolkits/
John Schomberg, IDHS General Counsel, conducted roll call and confirmed that the Panel had a quorum.
Motion to Approve September 20, 2019 Minutes
Representative Thapedi made a motion, seconded by Senator Martinez to approve the September 20, 2019 meeting minutes. Members voted unanimously to approve the minutes.
Public Participation
Three members of the public provided public comment:
Steven Monroy from MALDEF thanked the panel for their responsiveness to MALDEF's input. He
encouraged collaboration with other census efforts including the City of Chicago and Forefront.
Phillys Logan from the NAACP requested support with securing promotional materials for the 2020 Census. Deputy Governor Flores informed the panel that the Census Office will coordinate with the U.S. Census Bureau and other efforts to ensure promotional materials are available for outreach and education efforts. Ms. Logan asked a question regarding the GATA requirements for subrecipients and assistance in satisfying the same. Staff referred to both the website and Census Office staff as providing guidance and support.
Tracey Alston from First Ladies Health Initiative emphasized that the faith-based institutions are important partners to reach hard-to-count communities across the state.
Representative Carol Ammons asked about the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) and
whether subrecipients need to be compliant with the legislation's eligibility requirements. Mr. Schomberg confirmed that they were required to be compliant and staff will be providing Rep. Ammons with the law on the issue. Representative Thapedi raised the possibility of making legislative changes to the eligibility requirements for purposes of the Census NOFO.
Merit-Based Review (MBR)
Census Office Co-Directors Marishonta (Shonta) Wilkerson and Oswaldo Alvarez provided a summary of the merit-based review team's demographics: 54% identified as people of color; they work and live in the following areas: 49% Chicago, 29% downstate, and 22% suburbs and collar counties; and 100% of reviewers have expertise working with two or more hard-to-count (HTC) populations.
Representative Thapedi discussed the appeal process and next steps for disqualified applicants. Ms. Wilkerson shared that unsuccessful Regional Intermediary applicants can apply to serve as a subrecipient and that IDHS encourages organizations to indicate their interest to serve as a subrecipient by completing the subrecipient survey. Survey responses, including contact information, are public on www.census.illinois.gov.
Northwest Region NOFO
Staff shared that a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will also be released today for the Northwest region to ensure every area in Illinois is fully included in the Census 2020 program. All applications will be reviewed via the merit-based review process.
Update on U.S. Census Bureau (USCB)
Ms. Wilkerson shared that Illinois finished address canvassing before the October 4th deadline. There will be a Census Partner Briefing on October 29th and October 30th with elected officials presenting on local efforts, including City of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle. USCB is still recruiting the 72,000 workers needed for Illinois. Legal permanent residents are not currently eligible for enumerator positions. USCB filed for a waiver for this requirement and is awaiting a response. Representative Thapedi requested information about drug testing for enumerator positions.
Representative Thapedi inquired about the American Community Survey (ACS) and how it is different from the decennial census. Assistant Secretary Kia Coleman informed the panel that the ACS is taken every year and provides information between decennial census, but it is not the census.
Update from the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS)
Jeanine Stroger from SOS informed the panel of a poster contest that happened across libraries in the state. The winning poster will be displayed at libraries across the state. Representative Ammons inquired about whether individuals can complete the census at Secretary of State facilities. Jeanine Stroger shared that SOS is developing a plan to provide this resource. She mentioned libraries are currently equipped and ready for individuals to complete the question on site.
Update from the Illinois Department on Aging (DoA)
DoA Chief of Staff Selma D'Souza informed the panel of a $500,000 agency allocation to advance census outreach and education efforts that prioritize aging adults, a hard-to-count population. DoA will contract with AgeOptions to manage and coordinate Area Agencies on Aging across the state - adopting the IDHS "hub-and-spoke" model.
The Panel and staff discussed general census marketing efforts, the timing for individuals and families to complete the census form, and the Regional Intermediary work plan process, from outreach to education to form assistance.
Timeline Review
The next Census Advisory Panel meeting is scheduled for November 15, 2019.
Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 12:05 pm.
