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Officials spread the word of 2020 census in Meriden

MERIDEN — State and city leaders are getting out the word about the upcoming 2020 U.S. federal census. A news conference was held Thursday in Meriden were...

MERIDEN -- State and city leaders are getting out the word about the upcoming 2020 U.S. federal census.

A news conference was held Thursday in Meriden were it is one of 20 towns that struggles to account for everyone.

A problem, state leaders want to solve.

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said, “We want everyone to know it’s important to respond to the U.S. census, the forms will be going out next spring, and for the first time you can do it online.”

Bysiewicz says she wants to help families like Nancy Murphy’s of Southington who says funding should go towards childcare and education

Nancy Murphy explained, “My daughter has a college degree, she has a 2 and half year old and she can’t afford to work because childcare offsets the cost of working, so what do parents do?”

Murphy says she supports programs like Headstart, WIC and affordable housing.

All programs that officials say will be funded by the 10.7 billion dollars leaders hope to receive.

State Representative Hilda Santiago of District 84 said “We are going to start counting and it is very important for people to answer when they receive it in the mail, because of the state funding we could lose if not everybody is counted in the state of Connecticut.”

President Trump wanted to put a citizenship question on the census survey but was recently denied by a federal judge. Leaders say residents shouldn’t be scared to answer the questions.

Bysiewicz said , “No one can use their personal information.. No law enforcement, no state or federal or local agency can have access to that information.”

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