The U.S. Census Bureau continues to make changes ahead of the 2030 Census. However, a new rule proposed on September 10, Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions, would dramatically change the administration of the decennial census.

In addition to being the foundation of political apportionment and representation, the population count in each decennial census is the common denominator in nearly every aspect of public life. This proposed rule would change how “usual residence” is determined, the criteria that set standards to ensure that everyone is counted in the right place. Choosing to rely primarily on tax records would impact several groups such as military families, college students, hospitalized people, foster children, and families in shared or complex living arrangements. Additionally, the proposed three-month period for determining residence is not consistent with the statute that requires that residence be determined as of April 1 of that year.

The new rule also proposes to exclude some noncitizens from congressional apportionment counts. This is inconsistent with constitutional mandates and could have a chilling effect more broadly on the accuracy and completeness of the decennial census. It also proposes removing race and ethnicity questions from the decennial census form, meaning the U.S. will no longer have data on race and ethnicity for its entire population.

These proposed changes raise important questions about ensuring a complete and accurate count for children and other historically undercounted populations. The proposal would increase the number of children who would not be counted, which will have potentially devastating impacts on funding for children.

Our work to advance equitable policy solutions and prioritize the well-being of Pennsylvania children and families is as important as ever. The U.S. Census Bureau’s decennial census and its surveys produce critical, timely data about the demographic, housing, financial, and social characteristics of our nation and state communities. We need these resources to achieve our goals and mission at PPC.

The goal of every census is to “count everyone once, only once, and in the right place.” Under these proposed rules, people will not be counted and the fallout from losing an accurate count of the population will be severe.

Congress recently passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through December 11, avoiding a potential government shutdown when the current fiscal year ends September 30. President Trump signed the measure into law on September 2.

The CR continues federal programs at current funding levels while Congress works to complete the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations process. For programs serving children and families, the agreement provides important short-term stability but does not resolve decisions about funding for the rest of the fiscal year. The temporary funding comes as Head Start continues to face significant federal policy uncertainty. Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed changes to Head Start performance standards that could weaken important protections and services for children and families.

At the same time, HHS recently announced more than $225 million in supplemental Head Start funding nationwide. The investment includes more than $89 million to strengthen nutrition services, $88 million for facility improvements, and more than $47 million to help programs address one-time operational needs.

While these investments are welcome, the threat of the proposed rule for Head Start programs, which would roll back critical protection for children and families, looms. Our partners at Start Early created a link tree with resources for advocates to protect Head Start’s future. It Includes analyses and takeaways from the proposed rule, event recordings and trainings, and a multitude of comment templates for individuals wishing to submit written opposition to the proposal, which are due October 6.

Rural health providers have joined together to form rural health networks as a key strategy for more than 30 years, finding collective strength by working together.  Given their small size and scale, rural hospitals and clinics have relied on creating formal networks to build economies of scale to lower administrative costs and support clinical services.

Rural health networks have become more important in recent years as rural hospitals and clinics, particularly those that are independent.  This structure helps these small providers navigate an increasingly complex health care landscape.  Rural health networks can help their member hospitals and clinics take part in value-based care initiatives and find administrative and financial efficiencies while also supporting ongoing challenges such as recruiting and retaining clinicians.

As rural health networks have evolved to meet these challenges, FORHP has revised its grant programs to support these efforts.  This included a series of listening sessions with rural health networks in 2025 to gather information to craft new funding opportunities that support these activities.  Lessons learned from the FY 2026 funding cycle will inform a larger planned Notice of Funding Opportunity for rural health networks in FY 2027.

Beginning October 1, 2026, Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) must bill the individual Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code for distant site telehealth services they provide instead of HCPCS code G2025.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes these codes annually along with Calendar Year (CY) Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) rule. RHCs and FQHCs must report the appropriate revenue code along with modifier 93 (audio-only) or 95 (audio-visual) to indicate the service was performed via telehealth.   

In this request, the NTIA seeks comment from the public and from other Federal agencies on a set of questions for the November 2027 edition of the Current Population Survey about whether and how citizens are using the internet.

The Internet Use Survey collects data on how people in the U.S. use computers, devices, and the internet.  The survey is conducted annually by the U.S. Census Bureau through its Current Population Survey on behalf of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).  The NTIA uses the data to inform policymakers, researchers, and the public.

Comment by November 9.