The Equal Representation Act would require the U.S. Census Bureau to ask a citizenship question on the 2030 census and all future decennial censuses, and to publicly report the number of citizens versus noncitizens in each state within 120 days of completing the census. More significantly, the bill would change how House of Representatives seats are apportioned among states by counting only U.S. citizens rather than the total population, which currently includes noncitizens. The change would take effect starting with the 2030 census and apply to all subsequent census-based apportionment decisions. This legislation would directly affect states with larger noncitizen populations, potentially shifting representation away from those states to others with higher citizen populations. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, but no funding or specific implementation timeline beyond the citizenship reporting deadline has been specified.
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