Washington – Utah lawmakers must beat the clock – and overcome a distracted Congress – to push a bill through Washington that would give the state a fourth House seat. Backers say they still hope it can be done in a lame-duck session of Congress next week.
Utah lawmakers are pushing hard for the new seat, which would give the state added clout in Washington. The plan is half of a proposal that would also grant the District of Columbia a voting member in the U.S. House.
A Utah legislative committee wrapped up work Wednesday on a map that creates a fourth congressional seat.
The full Legislature and Gov. Jon Huntsman will consider it during a special session Monday.
Lawmakers in Washington had said they would not act until the Legislature approved the map. Utah officials are getting it in just under the wire.
Huntsman spokesman Mike Mower said he expected the Legislature could send the plan to Congress by Monday afternoon.
Congress is expected to finish its lame-duck session by the end of next week.
U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, is ready to get to work, spokesman Charles Isom said Thursday, but they are only cautiously optimistic it will pass.
For example, some in Utah – including Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson – are less than thrilled that the district map was not drawn by an independent commission.
“There’s about a dozen ways this could still go south,” Isom said. “Getting caught up in the Utah Legislature is one of them. We’re hoping it gets through so we can begin work.”
Giving the District of Columbia a vote would be a significant change for Congress, and it’s unclear whether lawmakers would agree to push the issue through in just a few days.
Also, Republicans are preparing to hand control to Democrats.
Both parties are busily moving offices and committee assignments and planning for next year.
It’s unclear what would happen to the initiative if it does not pass this year.
If Utah lawmakers “do what they are supposed to do on Monday, the House is expected to pass it pretty quickly,” said Brian McNicoll, a spokesman for Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., who sponsored the bill.
The Senate is the bigger hurdle, he said.
“It’s a matter of what the Senate can do with what is on its calendar,” McNicoll said. “That’s the great unknown.”
Utah’s Republican Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch have said they support the idea of Utah getting a fourth House seat. But both have said they are unsure of its chances in the Senate.
“There are a lot of moving parts that have to fall into place, but there’s a chance it could pass this Congress,” Hatch said in a statement. “We want to make sure that what we pass is constitutional and that we can support the long-term consequences.”
The new district approved by the committee would run along the western edge of Utah and include Tooele, Juab, Millard, Beaver, Iron and Washington counties.
District 2, now held by Matheson, would be mostly urban and include Salt Lake City.
Utah leaders argued after the last U.S. census that Utah deserved a fourth seat.
State officials expect they will get the seat after the 2010 census, but they say Utah should benefit from extra power in Washington now.
