Is clock ticking on 4th House seat?

WASHINGTON — A congressional decision on Utah's potential fourth House seat needs to come by April or it may not come at all this year, based on the observations of Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District of Columbia as a non-voting delegate.

The bill creating a fourth seat for Utah also would grant House voting rights for the District of Columbia. Supporters for D.C. voting rights, including new D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, announced a new push for this year's bill Friday, saying timing is important to getting the bill done this year.

"This is the city's number one priority and one we hope to make happen as quickly as possible," Fenty said, saying he wanted to build on the momentum left over from last year. "We want this bill passed and we want it passed right away."

The congressional schedule killed the bill last year as Congress adjourned before it could get a final vote, even after Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. called a special session of the state Legislature and created a proposed new four-district map for the state just weeks after the November election.

Huntsman strongly supports the idea of getting a fourth seat for the state. Utah has fought hard for it since the 2000 Census came up short on population numbers to support the additional seat. The state contested the numbers. Although Utah is likely to get a new seat anyway after the next census, the strong push for district voting rights may make it come earlier than expected.

Norton said during a press conference in Washington, D.C.'s City Hall that the February-to-March time frame is ideal for the bill to move. The defense spending bill and other appropriations legislation will begin to clog up the schedule in April and it will become more and more difficult to get time on the floor, Norton said.

Norton, Fenty and advocacy group DC Vote announced a citizens lobby day on Feb. 15, when volunteers will go to congressional offices to urge members to vote for the bill. A similar event was held late last year, but DC Vote spokesman Kevin Kriger said they expect hundreds of people to show up this time.

Then on April 15, combining the symbolism of Tax Day and Emancipation Day in the district, there will be a march starting at City Hall and up Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol grounds to draw attention to the issue.

Many D.C. residents sport license plates that read "Taxation Without Representation," making the Tax Day timing symbolic. Norton also emphasized Friday that the city's residents are not really free, because they have no voice in government. City schools and offices are closed on April 16 to recognize the day in 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln signed a federal law ending slavery in the District of Columbia.

"If that has to be a march for the bill, this bill is in trouble," Norton said, meaning that if it is not done by that point, it will be difficult to get it through. "The clock is really ticking on this bill."

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com