If you’ve yet to complete your census, I’d like to once again urge you to do so as soon as possible. Although we’ve seen improvement in recent weeks, Oklahoma is still behind the national response rate average.
As of May 1, the national average was 54.6 percent. Oklahoma’s response rate was 49 percent, which ranks 41st in the nation. Across the district, Garfield County’s response was 55.8 percent; Kay’s was 54 percent; Grant’s was 39.1 percent; and Alfalfa’s was 36.5 percent. Notable cities include Enid at 57.3 percent; Blackwell at 50.9 percent; my hometown of Burlington at 27.1 percent; and Drummond at 5.3 percent. We have some work to do to get a full count.
If you think the census is simply a population count and doesn’t impact you personally, please think again. While the census does track the U.S. population, this count determines how hundreds of billions of dollars are allocated to states over the next decade for schools, hospitals, transportation and more. I believe the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored how crucial it is for our communities, counties and state to receive this funding. Unfortunately, if you don’t respond to the census, we will miss out on the federal funding of about $1,675 per person per year for the next 10 years. This money will simply go to other states. Oklahoma was ranked nearly last in census response rate in 2010. Please help us change this statistic in 2020.
You can respond to the census online at 2020census.gov, by calling 844-330-2020, or by mail. Please take 10 minutes of your day to make sure your household is counted.
I’m pleased to report that the blood drive held in Burlington on April 28 was a huge success. We doubled our donation goal, and I’m thankful to all who gave blood. We have two additional blood drives scheduled with the Oklahoma Blood Institute in the coming weeks. The first will be held at the City of Blackwell on May 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The second will be at the Medford Civic Center on May 11 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
To follow Centers for Disease Control guidelines, each blood drive will take place at a mobile unit with strict social distancing protocols in place. You can schedule an appointment and find more information about donating blood at http://www.obi.org.
Finally, I’d like to take a moment to thank our teachers across the district and the state. May 4–8 is Teacher Appreciation Week, and although our students are not at school, I encourage you to think outside of the box and let an influential teacher know that you are thankful for them. I’ve served as both a science teacher and principal, so I know firsthand how hard our teachers and administrators work to positively influence and educate our students. A kind word means more than you know.
The legislature will convene at the Capitol beginning May 4 to fulfill our constitutional duty of passing the 2021 budget, among other things. As our state is in phase one of our reopening, please remember to continue social distancing protocols and follow CDC safety guidelines. Let’s continue to work together to make the reopening transition as smooth as possible.
If there is anything I can help you with, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can contact me via email at Roland.Pederson@oksenate.gov or by phone at 405-521-5630.
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