Senate OKs Utah's 4th seat

The Senate voted 61-37 Thursday to give, at long last, the heavily Democratic District of Columbia a U.S. House member with full voting rights — to end "taxation without representation" there. At the same time, the bill would give heavily Republican Utah a fourth House seat as a political counterweight.

"It's a significant, historic step forward … What I'd really like to say is hallelujah," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., the main sponsor of the bill. "600,000 of our fellow Americans (in D.C.) get taxed, get called to war … and yet have no say here by a vote by a representative," which the bill would change.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a chief cosponsor of the bill, added, "I'm pleased with the passage of this historic legislation that will ensure that my home state of Utah and residents of the District of Columbia get the representation in the House that they require and so richly deserve."

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, voted against the bill, even though he had supported it in previous years. He said he became convinced it is unconstitutional. He faces reelection next year, and had been attacked by some conservatives for his earlier support of the bill.

The House is expected to vote on the bill next week.

The legislation would permanently expand the number of U.S. House members from 435 to 437 for the 2010 election. One seat would go to D.C., and the other temporarily would go (until after the 2010 Census) to Utah. The Beehive State had been in line for the next available House seat after the 2000 Census, missing one by just 80 people.

"The Senate today is moving to right a centuries-old wrong," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "We're the only democracy in the world that denies citizens of its capital … the right to vote in national legislation."

"This is a historic moment for D.C.," said Ilir Zherka, executive director of DCVote, the lobbying group set up by D.C. to push for congressional representation.

The bill is controversial and likely will be challenged in court — and provisions in the bill call for expedited review by federal courts if that happens.

Critics say the Constitution clearly allows House seats only for states, and D.C. is not a state. Supporters, including Hatch, note that the Constitution also allows federal taxation only for residents of states, the right to jury trial for residents of states and regulation of interstate commerce for states -- but courts ruled such language also applies to D.C.