Snip

Dropping Population Means Less Representation in Congress

The census bureau came out with estimates on which states will gain or lose congressional seats after the 2020 census. Congressional seats are apportioned by population.

Most of the states with dropping populations are high tax states. California, Rhode Island, and New York are all expected to lose Congressional seats. Illinois is hit especially hard with a fleeing populace, so much so that it may lose two seats.

Illinois suffered the largest net population loss of any state in the past year, and due to that loss, it was overtaken by Pennsylvania this year as the fifth-largest state in the country. Major tax increases passed in 2017 will certainly not help this downward economic spiral.

Illinois also lost a seat after the 2010 census, and New York lost two. But both states continue to push for higher taxes and more regulation.

Beginning this year New York mandates 8 full weeks of paid time off for private sector employees who have or adopt a child, or need to help when a family member gets sick or deployed overseas. Last year New York passed a regulation that forced employers to schedule employees two weeks in advance or pay for an extra two hours per shift.

Of the ten states with the highest minimum wage, three are also states expected to lose a Congressional seat after the 2020 census: California ($10.50 minimum wage), New York ($9.70), and Rhode Island ($9.60). Massachusetts has the second highest minimum wage in the country at $11 per hour, and it lost a Congressional seat after the 2010 census.