WASHINGTON — Utah's fourth-seat bill may have to wait until after the July 4 recess for a Senate floor vote, but the bill's supporters are working hard to make sure it passes.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, sent a letter to his fellow senators Thursday outlining reasons why they should vote for the bill. Members of DC Vote, an advocacy group, had meetings in 21 Senate offices on Wednesday.

The pending bill would create a fourth House seat for Utah and allow the District of Columbia to get a vote in the House. Utah missed a seat after the 2000 Census, and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton cannot vote in the House.

"Congress is on firm constitutional ground in righting two wrongs: the long-standing failure to provide for full House representation for the District and the recent denial of appropriate representation for Utah," Hatch said in the letter, which was co-signed by Sen. Joe Liebermann, I-Conn. "Congress should seize the day and do what is right."

DC Vote Executive Director Ilir Zherka said he anticipates a Senate floor vote in mid-July. The Senate is currently working on an energy bill and will potentially take up the immigration bill next week before going on a scheduled weeklong recess, but things are constantly in flux.

Some senators have constitutional problems with the bill, saying the District of Columbia is not a state so it cannot have a voting member without a constitutional amendment or other Constitution-based arguments.

In his letter, Hatch justified that the bill is constitutional, pointing to several interpretations and adding that an amendment to the bill last week prohibits the legislation from tacking on two senators for the District as well.

"For those who have lingering doubts, the bill provides for expedited consideration of any appropriate court challenge," according to the letter.

The House has already approved a similar bill but would need to vote again because the Senate bill is slightly different. The House calls for an at-large seat for Utah until the next census, while the Senate version would leave the decision up to the state as to how it would use the new seat.

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