New Census Plan Counts Snowbirds Where They Winter, Not Home. Fix This, Congress

I am writing as your constituent regarding the Census Bureau’s proposed rule for the 2030 Census (Docket USBC-2026-0628), which fundamentally alters how residents are counted for congressional apportionment and federal funding. Under current standards, individuals are counted at their usual residence—where they live and sleep most of the year. The proposed rule redefines usual residence to where a person "lawfully spent the greatest number of days" between January 3 and April 1, using tax records for verification, while excluding noncitizens without permanent residency from the apportionment base. Apportionment is a zero-sum calculation. Counting northern residents in southern wintering states subtracts from home-state populations in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and across the Northeast—shifting House seats and billions in federal funding away from the communities where these citizens live, work, vote, and pay state taxes most of the year. Independent state analyses indicate these changes could cost individual states over $1.5 billion annually in federal formula grants. Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution explicitly mandates that representatives be apportioned by "counting the whole number of persons in each State," and vests Congress with sole authority to direct the census "by Law." Bypassing Congress via a truncated 33-day administrative rulemaking process undermines Article I authority over representation. I urge you to take immediate legislative and oversight action: 1. File Formal Public Comments: Submit official congressional comments before the November 2 deadline opposing Docket USBC-2026-0628 and urging Commerce to withdraw the residence redefinition and noncitizen exclusions. 2. Codify Title 13 Residence Rules: Introduce and pass legislation amending Title 13 to explicitly define "usual residence" as the primary year-round domicile and reaffirm that all residents are included in the apportionment base. 3. Attach Appropriations Restrictions: Include language in the upcoming Commerce, Justice, Science spending bill barring federal funds from implementing these residence rule revisions without explicit congressional authorization. 4. Hold Oversight Hearings: Convene hearings requiring the Census Bureau Director and Commerce Secretary to present state-by-state impact projections for the proposed rule. Congress holds sole constitutional authority to determine how the census is conducted. Protect our state's representation and enforce Title 13 guardrails.