BILL NUMBER: SJR 28	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Kehoe
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Leno)
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Ammiano)
   (Coauthor: Assembly Member John A. Perez)

                        MARCH 25, 2010

   Relative to the 2020 Census.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SJR 28, as introduced, Kehoe. The 2020 Census.
   This measure would urge the Congress and the President of the
United States to enact legislation to have the 2020 Census gather
data on sexual orientation and gender identity.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, The Constitution of the United States and federal
statutory law require the federal government to perform a census of
people living in the United States; and
   WHEREAS, The federal government uses data collected from the
census for the allocation of federal funds, including, but not
limited to, funding for hospitals, job training centers, schools,
public works projects, and emergency services; and
   WHEREAS, The number of representatives allocated to a state to
serve in the United States House of Representatives is based on data
collected from the census; and
   WHEREAS, Statistics based on data collected from the census are
used for a myriad of public benefit purposes, including, but not
limited to, quality of life issues and advocacy; and
   WHEREAS, Census data that is available is principally related to
same-sex couples; and
   WHEREAS, Statistics based on data from the 2000 Census have
estimated that approximately 5.87 million people in the United States
are gay or lesbian; and
   WHEREAS, The 2010 Census will be the first census to release a
count of both same-sex spouses and same-sex unmarried partners; and
   WHEREAS, The census discriminates against the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender community because it does not currently
include questions regarding sexual orientation; and
   WHEREAS, The census also discriminates against transgender
respondents by failing to take into account gender identity; and
   WHEREAS, Same-sex couples are raising children throughout the
country with significantly less economic resources than heterosexual
married couples; and
   WHEREAS, Same-sex couple families are significantly more likely to
be classified as poor than are heterosexual married families; and
   WHEREAS, The census discriminates against the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender community by not having policies in place
that identify and count members of this community; and
   WHEREAS, If the census were to count members of the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender community, the data could be used to
appropriately allocate resources and services to this community just
as it does other communities; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the Congress and the
President of the United States to enact legislation to have the 2020
Census gather data on sexual orientation and gender identity; and be
it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President of the United States, each Senator and
Representative in the Congress of the United States, and to the
presiding officer of each house of each state legislature of the
states.