Utah will not get 4th seat this year

WASHINGTON — Utah will not get an additional House seat by the end of this year. The House Republican Leadership decided it would not take up the bill that would have created it before Congress adjourns for the year at week's end.

House leadership made the decision this afternoon, according to a leadership aide, despite the Utah legislature approving a map for four new House districts on Monday and heavy lobbying of Capitol Hill today by advocates for voting rights for the District of Columbia.

Kevin Kiger, communications director for DC Vote, an advocacy group for voting rights, was disappointed but said there is a lot of momentum now behind the bill and his group is quickly moving to "Plan B."

The pending bill coupled a new seat for Utah and a voting House member for the District of Columbia to make it a "politically neutral" bill. The District seat would most likely go to a Democrat while Utah's seat would most likely go to a Republican, so neither party would gain or lose a seat.