Committee reviews need to appoint nonpartisan Census liaisons; staff will produce jointly signed letter

Director DiCecco (Legislative Council staff) briefed the Executive Committee on a request from the U.S. Census Bureau for each state to appoint two nonpartisan liaisons for the 2030 Redistricting Data Program. The Census Bureau asks that one liaison be from the legislative branch and one from the executive branch to serve as contacts while the bureau prepares draft redistricting maps and contacts local governments about boundary updates.

DiCecco said the state historically has used a legislative attorney and the state demographer in this role. For 2030, staff recommended appointing the new state demographer, Dr. Kate Watkins, and an attorney from the legislative leadership team to serve as the state's liaisons. Jacob Balson (legislative staff) and Jerry Berry (longtime liaison from the governor's office) were mentioned as experienced contacts who will assist the process. DiCecco said the Census Bureau requested a jointly signed letter from both the Executive Committee (on behalf of the legislature) and the governor's office; staff will prepare a draft letter for the committee to consider at the next meeting.

No formal action was taken at this meeting; DiCecco indicated staff will coordinate with the governor's office and return a draft joint letter for approval next week. Committee members expressed confidence in the people proposed for the liaison roles.

Why it matters: Joint liaisons are the Census Bureau's point of contact for jurisdictional and boundary updates that feed into redistricting maps, an important step prior to the 2030 Census data release.

Next steps: Staff will prepare a draft jointly signed letter with the governor's office naming the proposed liaisons and present it at the committee's next meeting.