Senators Vote to Consider D.C. Voting Rights Bill

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/24/AR2009022401375.html?hpid=topnews

For the first time in more than 30 years, a D.C. voting rights bill is headed to the Senate floor, after attracting enough votes to cross a key procedural threshold.

Senators decided this morning, by a 62 to 34 tally, to consider the bill, which would give the District its first seat ever in the House of Representatives. The measure is expected to face lively debate before a final vote in the coming days or next week. Debate on the bill could begin as early as this afternoon.

Eight Republicans voted to proceed with the bill, including two surprises: Sens. Thad Cochran (Miss.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). One Republican who had indicated that he would vote yes, Robert F. Bennett (Utah), voted no.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) congratulated each other after the vote, which took place just before noon. A similar bill failed to reach the floor three years ago after falling three votes short of the 60 needed to prevent a filibuster.

D.C. voting rights supporters think the next few days could be a turning point in their decades-long struggle, thanks to an expanded Democratic majority in the Senate eager to approve the bill. The measure already has significant support in the House, where it passed in 2007. It is expected to clear that chamber again, possibly as soon as next week.

During this morning's debate, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) called D.C. citizens "the only residents of a democratically ruled national capital in the world who have no say" in how their nation is governed. "It's time to right this injustice," he told the chamber which was largely empty except for a group of D.C. vote supporters.

..snip

This may actually pass!! :woohoo:

additional House seat to "balance" the DC one.

Another compromise with the repukes and they still do not vote for the bill. Why not force it through without that sell-out?

Or, conversely, if it passes both houses, as it appears it may, can't the President simply pencil-out that Utah seat, ala George and his signing statements? Sure, the pukes would howl, but if the Dems do not take advantage of their majority, what is the use of having it?

guaranteed until 2012, when the next realignment will take place.

Boggles the mind why they don't have a rep yet.

Washington, D.C., is a federal city, carved out of a sovereign state to be the seat of the national government. IIRC, it wasn't meant to be a residential municipality, or if it was, only temporary (i.e. the terms of the congressmen in session).

The growth of the permanent federal bureaucracy necessitated that civil servants and other workers would live in the area permanently. That's fine, but it did leave the only American city not associated with or a part of a sovereign state without representation in Congress.

I've long advocated redrawing the boundaries of the federal district to encompass only the federal (untaxed) buildings. All of the rest of it, the residential and commercial portions of the city would revert, north of the Potomac, to Maryland or, if there's any part of D.C. remaining south of the river, to Virginia.

A special redistricting could be ordered if needed to give these states' new citizens appropriate congressional representation. A 10- or 15-year tax moratorium could be granted these new citizens, to the extent that their current level of taxation is lower than would be under their new state's. And certain financial incentives would be granted these states to cover certain costs of absorption.

That's my basic outline (Devil's always in the details, of course). I would love to see some thoughtful critique of this plan (name-calling is not thoughtful critique, as it does not address the plan itself but the messenger).

(edited to correct typos)

DC should be rolled into Maryland for representation, im not sure if there would be any constitutional problems with giving DC a vote as i saw somewhere that this could come afoul.

go democratic in every major election.

i can guarentee virginia would never want DC to join the commonwealth.

:shrug:

Why not just make it a state? :shrug:

It is larger in population than Wyoming, we wouldn't have to hand a vote to Utah, and there isn't any constitutional prohibition on granting representatives to states. In fact, we would get two new senators, too. Am I missing something?