New York Assemblymember Landon Dais introduced legislation to boost the state’s participation in the decennial U.S. census by establishing a dedicated Office of Census Services and a New York State Census Counts Commission. The measure, known as the New York Counts Act, aims to ensure that all residents have access to accurate census information and can participate safely and freely.
“The Office of the Census will be a permanent, accountable structure with a clear mandate: make sure every New Yorker is counted. An undercount isn’t just a statistic: it costs our communities federal funding and political representation,” Dais emphasized. “This office will provide grants and work directly with trusted community organizations, because the most effective outreach happens at the neighborhood level.”
The bill outlines a comprehensive strategy to support the federal census, the American Community Survey, and other census-related programs. The Office of Census Services would be housed within the Department of State and led by a director appointed by the Secretary of State. Among its responsibilities, the office would coordinate outreach efforts, provide multilingual materials, maintain demographic records, and collaborate with community organizations, academic institutions, and state agencies to promote a complete count.
The legislation also establishes a thirty-member commission tasked with identifying factors that may have contributed to past undercounts in New York and making recommendations to improve accuracy in future censuses. Members would include state officials, academic leaders, and representatives from nonprofit and community organizations, reflecting the state’s geographic and demographic diversity. The commission would convene at least quarterly, hold public hearings, and submit regular reports to the Governor and Legislature with action plans for outreach, data collection, and engagement with hard-to-count communities.
The bill further amends the state penal code to create a misdemeanor offense for impersonating a census enumerator, carrying potential penalties of up to one year in county jail or a $1,000 fine. It includes a $15 million appropriation to fund the office, commission, and associated programs.
Supporters of the legislation point to the importance of accurate census data for federal representation and funding allocation. New York has lost congressional seats in recent decades, and accurate counts are viewed as essential to ensure fair representation and resource distribution. By establishing state-level oversight and targeted outreach, the legislation aims to improve participation, particularly among communities that have historically been undercounted.
