Senators introduce legislation to give D.C. voting member of House

Legislation that would give the District of Columbia a voting member of the House and Utah an at-large seat was introduced in the Senate yesterday.

Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) sponsored the bill, which the House passed 241-177 on April 19.
  The Senate version does not contain pay-as-you-go language, repeals the D.C. delegate position once there is a representative and requires Utah to redistrict before the 2008 election, rather than after the 2010 census, as the House bill stipulates.

{mosads}The at-large requirement in the House bill was unconstitutional and “too heavy-handed” because it “denies [Utahans] their right to redistrict how they see fit,” Hatch said in a statement.

Hatch also said that he spoke with House sponsors Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) about the constitutionality of the bill.

“In many respects Congress has treated the District as a state for many years: District residents pay federal taxes and laws that apply to states apply to the District as well,” Hatch said. “These arguments lead me to believe it is only fair that we proceed with this legislation and, if it becomes necessary, let the courts decide.”

But the bill’s fate remains uncertain, as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has hinted that there could be a filibuster on the bill. He said that he would support a constitutional amendment for statehood instead.

“This measure, if it is worth pursuing, ought to be pursued in a legal and appropriate way,” McConnell said in a press conference yesterday. “And amending the Constitution is clear[ly] and unambiguously the way to do it.”
The legislation has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.