| |
 |
| May 1st, 2007 |
|
Media Contact(s): Peter Carr (202) 224-9854,
Jared Whitley (202) 224-5251 |
[  ] Listen to Radio Clip |
Printable Version |
[  ] Watch Television Clip |
|
SPEECH: HATCH, LIEBERMAN INTRODUCE DC, UTAH HOUSE VOTING BILL
|
| |
|
|
| Sen. Hatch and Sen. Lieberman discuss the DC Voting Rights/Utah fourth seat issue. (5/1/2007) |
Washington – Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) today held a press conference on the introduction of a bill to give the District of Columbia a voting seat and the State of Utah an additional seat in the House of Representatives.
Hatch’s prepared remarks follow.
Thank you all for coming today and giving us the opportunity to share our message about the DC House Voting Rights Act of 2007. Particularly I want to thank my good friend from Connecticut, Chairman Lieberman, for his leadership and his insights. I want to thank my counterparts in the House: Delegate Norton and Representative Davis have clearly been leaders on this issue.
Our colleagues in the House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 1905 to provide D.C. with its first-ever voting member while creating a fourth congressional seat for my home state of Utah. This is a historic time for D.C. citizens and a unique opportunity for Utah to receive its long-overdue fourth congressional seat.
According to the 2000 Census, Utah missed an extra seat to North Carolina by just 856 people, which is an uncomfortably thin margin of error since Utah is seeing some of the fastest growth in the nation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Washington County in Southern Utah is the nation's fastest-growing metro area. The county’s population has grown by over 40 percent since 2000 and the growth statistics from around the state are equally impressive.
There is no question we feel slighted by the results of the 2000 census and this bill will provide Utah with the fourth seat we have sought for several years now.
As many know, I have raised Constitutional concerns about H.R. 1905. The Lieberman-Hatch bill resolves one of those concerns. Under H.R. 1905, residents of Utah would be represented by two House members. This invites an unacceptable Constitutional problem and I felt strongly we needed to rectify this in the Senate version of the bill. Therefore, our legislation envisions the state of Utah redistricting in time for the 2008 election.
I must say that, not only is the at-large requirement of the House bill unconstitutional, it is also too heavy-handed. It creates a federal mandate that denies Utahns their right to redistrict how they see fit. Utah leaders made a full-court press last year in developing a fair, bipartisan four-district map. We have shown it is possible to come to a consensus to develop a new fourth district, so the Federal government need not dictate to us how our representative districts should be drawn. For this reason, in the Senate legislation, I insisted that Utah have the freedom and opportunity to redistrict for the new seat.
My second Constitutional concern cannot be over-ridden with this legislation. Many believe there are large Constitutional questions surrounding the proposition of allowing representatives of the District to vote. The Constitution only allows states to have voting members of Congress. This is not a new debate.
Delegate Norton and Congressman Davis have made persuasive arguments to me. They note that in many respects Congress has treated the District as a state for many years: District residents pay federal taxes and laws that apply to states apply to the District as well. These arguments lead me to believe it is only fair that we proceed with this legislation and, if it becomes necessary, let the courts decide.
I want my fellow Utahns to know that the window of opportunity for Utah to garner a fourth seat and begin earning seniority prior to the 2010 census is quickly closing. In fact, I dare say there won’t be another opportunity like this again. The best time to strike the iron, or so the saying goes, is when it’s hot. This iron is certainly hot, so let’s proceed.
View related PDF: 05012007utahfourthseat.pdf (40.8 KBs)
|
| |
| ### |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
