State 'smarting' over missed House seat

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says the state is still "smarting" from missing out on a fourth House seat following the 2000 census.

Utah missed qualifying for the seat by just 857 people. The seat was awarded to North Carolina.

State officials argued unsuccessfully that the government should have counted more than 11,000 Mormon missionaries living overseas, as federal employees and military personnel are.

North Carolina is home to several large military bases, including Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Utah's claims and ruled the U.S. Census Bureau enjoys wide discretion on counting.

Herbert made the comments Wednesday to a state committee responsible for getting residents counted during the 2010 census.

— Associated Press