COMMENTARY: Census will ensure Las Vegas gets its fair share

Several months ago, Congress passed the CARES Act to help communities across the country respond to and recover from this public health crisis. Under that law, Nevada has received billions of dollars to fight COVID-19 and help workers and small businesses get back on their feet.

While it is hard to overstate the importance of that relief package, it is obvious that more assistance is needed. That is why the House of Representatives in May passed the Heroes Act to help teachers, medical workers, first responders and other essential employees keep their jobs while providing more direct payments to Americans and setting up an expansive testing and tracing system.

The special session of the Nevada Legislature is evidence of the dire situation we find ourselves in. The tourism industry’s rapid decline during the height of the pandemic shrunk the dollars that Nevada receives from sales and gaming tax revenues. Meanwhile, our state and local governments are rightfully spending more than ever on providing Nevadans with health care and housing.

Difficult times like these are exactly when the federal government should step in. And when Uncle Sam decides how much money to give back, he often relies on the known population of each state, as determined by the census.

The U.S. Constitution mandates that we conduct the census every decade to count all our nation’s citizens. Census data impact everything from the funding we get for schools and roads to our representation in Congress. Right now, the federal government is using census data to allocate personal protective equipment for hospitals and provide grants to struggling small businesses.

That is why every Nevadan should complete the 2020 census. Fortunately, you can easily fulfill your civic duty from your couch. Visit my2020census.gov today. Then urge a friend or family member to do the same.

When Nevadans fail to fill out the census, we lose resources that are rightfully ours. Nevada’s census self-response rate currently hovers just above 60 percent, and we are alarmed that residents in the heart of Las Vegas are lagging even further behind the rest of the state.

Especially during this coronavirus pandemic, we cannot let citizens from other states eat up our slice of the pie. If Nevadans aren’t counted, we will suffer the consequences for the next 10 years.

The depths of the public health crisis will require long-term assistance. Southern Nevada has been hit particularly hard in this recession and we all have a civic responsibility to ensure our community gets the resources it needs to recover. So please help.

A few clicks. That’s all it takes to make sure your voice is heard.

Do not let your tax dollars go elsewhere. If you haven’t already, please go online and fill out the census right now. We want everyone in Southern Nevada to be counted because everyone counts.

Dina Titus, a Democrat, represents Nevada’s 1st Congressional District. Brian Knudsen represents Ward 1 on the Las Vegas City Council.