On October 27, 2024, Delegate Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D) of the Northern Mariana Islands re-introduced the Insular Mid-decade Census Act to ensure the collection of census data from insular areas. Currently, the insular areas of Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands are notably left out of decade census collection done by the American Community Survey (ACS). To create accurate census data that would aid in the federal allocation of resources within these territories, Sablan believes that this legislation would improve public policy as well as provide a remedy to existing insular inequities, saying, “Good policy relies on the availability of good data, which is often not available for the insular areas. Implementing a mid-decade census is a step in the right direction toward achieving data equity.”
In recent years, the problem of data inequity in the territories has risen, and a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report about gaps in federal statistics has highlighted the lack of accurate data collection in the territories. For the territories, these issues translate to inaccurate sampling that hurts the effectiveness of government decision-making and evaluation of government programs. Consequently, the Mid-decade Census Act would seek to adequately collect data from smaller insular areas that may receive less federal attention like the 50 US states and Puerto Rico do. This census would take place between the decade censuses conducted for states and Puerto Rico, and if passed, the first census would occur in 2035.
Data collection has become an increasingly significant factor in the lives of Americans in insular areas. Accurate data could greatly improve the quality of life and the presence of governmental programs dealing with issues such as agriculture and education. As a result, the reintroduction of the Insular Mid-decade Census Act seeks to bring representation and equity to the comparatively marginalized insular communities.
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